The arrival of the production team working on Hulu's 'Amanda Knox' series in Perugia, Italy, has sparked a wave of backlash since filming commenced near the spot where Meredith Kercher, a student, was discovered brutally stabbed to death 17 years ago. As the cast and crew of 'Blue Moon' — executive produced by Knox herself — descended upon the city to commence production, residents retaliated by unfurling banners inscribed with "Rispetto per Meredith" (Respect for Meredith) across the townscape.
Grace Van Patten ('Tell Me Lies') stars in this eight-episode drama, which will unfold on Disney's streaming service, detailing Knox's relentless fight to clear her name after being wrongly convicted of the 21-year-old's murder in 2007. Significant flaws in the initial police investigation eventually led to Knox and her Italian ex-partner Raffaele Sollecito being released from prison in 2011 and definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court in 2015. This harrowing experience later propelled Knox into the realm of activism, journalism, and authorship, penning the memoir 'Waiting to Be Heard.' Meanwhile, Rudy Guede was convicted of Kercher's murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Now 37, Knox is drawing fresh ire from the locals, evident in Perugia's mayor, Vittoria Ferdinandi, issuing an apology to her constituents for allowing the filming to proceed. Ferdinandi explained her rationale, believing that granting permission would afford Italians a sense of "control" over the filmed scenes. "We could have disallowed the filming of five scenes in Perugia," she clarified, "but they would have been shot elsewhere in our region. We believed allowing [the scenes] to be filmed here would offer us a greater degree of assurance and control, as we were able to review and authorize each scene, as per our request."
Just last week, Kercher's sister Stephanie expressed her family's confusion over the purpose of Knox's series. Representatives from Hulu did not immediately respond to queries from The Hollywood Reporter.
Once starred by Margaret Qualley, who left the project before taking on her dual role as executive producer, 'Blue Moon' is based on "the genuine narrative of Knox's unjust conviction for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher and her 16-year-long journey to reclaim her freedom," according to the official synopsis. K.J. Steinberg ('This Is Us') serves as the creator and executive producer, joined by Warren Littlefield, Lisa Harrison, Ann Johnson, Graham Littlefield (The Littlefield Company), Monica Lewinsky, Knox, and Chris Robinson (Knox Robinson Productions) in their executive producer roles.
