How many stories of Amanda Knox do we really need? At least one more, according to Hulu, whose new eight-part series Blue Moon has begun filming in Italy, sparking backlash from the residents of Perugia, where Meredith Kercher was found murdered back in 2007. A 20-year-old Knox and her then-lover, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of killing Knox’s roommate 17 years ago, and subsequently spent four years in an Italian prison before their release in 2011 due to shoddy police work. She was later acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court in 2015, and has since gone on to become an author and activist.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, residents of Perugia have shown up in full force to the production, displaying banners that read “Rispetto per Meredith,” which translates to “Respect for Meredith.” The dramatization stars Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Lies), and will air on Hulu next year, with Knox – now 37 – on board as an executive producer. Blue Moon is said to be based on “the true story of how Knox was wrongfully convicted for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher and her 16-year odyssey to set herself free.”
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It’s just another in a long line of books, documentaries, and movies (including the controversial Matt Damon film Stillwater) that have focused on the case over the years, which has been told ad nauseam by those involved, including Knox herself, who has always maintained her innocence. The purpose of the new Hulu series was called into question last week by Kercher’s sister, Stephanie, who finds it “difficult to understand” its purpose, and to be honest, we can’t help but agree. With so much information out there to digest, it’s hard to imagine that it will present anything new, so why even bother?
Perugia’s Mayor Apologizes to Her Constituents
Created by K.J. Steinberg (This Is Us), Blue Moon will shoot five scenes in Perugia for authenticity, rather than filming on a soundstage, or in another area of the country. At first, Vittoria Ferdinandi, the city’s mayor, thought it was a good idea, and a way for the local government to control the narrative, since they’d be shown the scenes prior to the final cut being released. Her constituents obviously held differing opinions on the matter, which prompted Ferdinandi to issue a statement to the more than 160,000 residents.
“We could have not authorized the filming of five scenes in Perugia, but they would have been filmed in any other town in our region. We believed that allowing [the scenes] to be filmed here would provide us an element of greater guarantee and control because — as we requested — we are able to view and authorize every scene.”
Another individual, Rudy Guede, was eventually convicted of the murder of Kercher and sentenced to 30 years in prison, but was released in 2021 after serving 16 years. In addition to Patten, Blue Moon also stars Giuseppe De Domenico as Sollecito, with Sharon Horgan, John Hoogenakker, and Francesco Acquaroli set to appear as well. No release date has been set, but we expect it to premiere on Hulu in 2025.