True crime shows – both scripted and unscripted – have become quite popular. (There are even some quality ones on the 2024 TV schedule.) Another scripted series set within this genre is now in the works, and it’s based on the case of Amanda Knox – who was acquitted in the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. As of late, the streaming show has been filming in Perugia, which is the city where Kercher was murdered. Now, though, it would seem that a number of the locals aren’t pleased with that.
Filming for the series – which is set up at Hulu and allegedly titled Blue Moon – reportedly moved to the Italian city of Perugia last week. Apparently, members of the community take issue with this, as they feel it’s inconsiderate of Meredith Kercher’s memory. Variety reports that people in the area even donned banners that read “Rispetto per Meredith,” which translates to “Respect for Meredith.” As of this writing, neither the streamer nor Amanda Knox (who serves as an EP on the show) have publicly commented on the matter.
A statement, however, did come from Vittoria Ferdinandi, the mayor of the aforementioned city in Italy. The politician wrote a letter to citizens, and it was published in local newspapers. Not only did Ferdinandi apologize to them for the decision to allow the show to film in town, but she also explained her reasoning for the choice:
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.
Seattle native Amanda Knox – who was 20 at the time of British exchange student Miranda Kercher’s murder – was originally sentenced to 26 years in prison by an Italian court in 2009. Her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, was also accused of being involved in the murder and sentenced to 25 years. In time, Rudy Guede was found guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher, and both Knox and Sollecito were exonerated by the court in 2015.
Hulu’s upcoming limited series is set to run for eight episodes and will star Grace Van Patten as Ms. Knox and Giuseppe De Domenico as Mr. Sollecito. This isn’t the first time that Knox’s story has been dramatized in some form. 2011 saw the debut of Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, a production from Lifetime (which planned to update the film after the acquittals). Drama film The Face of an Angel was released in 2014 and directed by Michael Winterbottom, who opted not to focus on the murder as much as he did the people involved. It’s also believed that Matt Damon’s moderately reviewed 2021 drama Stillwater drew inspiration from Knox’s story, and she took issue with that.
Based on Variety’s report, despite the backlash it doesn’t seem that the streaming show will see any kind of delays. What’s also unclear is how much longer principal photography is set to continue. That aside, though, it may be reasonable to assume that the program could land an end-of-year slot on the 2025 TV schedule.
Those who’d like to see the Amanda Knox-centered series whenever it debuts will want to have a Hulu subscription so that they can stream it.
