The locals of an Italian town are furious that Huluit’s controversial Amanda Knox drama is being filmed in their region, claiming the upcoming TV show will bring fresh and unwanted attention to the fact that British student Meredith Kercher was murdered there in 2007.

Production for Blue moon it started Last week in Perugia, a medieval city about two hours northeast of Rome. In the main roles tell me lies Starring Grace Van Patten, the eight-episode series is based on the true story of how Knox was wrongfully convicted of crime of her roommate and her 16-year odyssey to break free,” according to Hulu’s official synopsis.

Twenty-one-year-old Kercher was studying abroad in Perugia when she was killed. Her body was found partially undressed, with multiple stab wounds. Knox and her Italian boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted for Kercher’s murder and served four years in prison before their release in 2011 after substantial flaws were found in the police investigation. Both were finally acquitted in 2015. Rudy Guede was convicted of Kercher’s murder in 2008 and was released from prison in 2021 after serving 13 years of a 16-year sentence.

Now, nearly two decades after the international scandal, locals are worried the series will bring new and unwanted attention to their town. “For too long, Perugia has unfortunately been world famous as the city of Meredith Kercher’s murder,” former Perugia councilor Margherita Scoccia said on Facebook. “Is it right that our community should again be associated with such a terrible crime?” Residents also hung banners around town reading “Rispetto per Meredith” or “Respect for Meredith”.

The outcry prompted an apology and explanation from Perugia Mayor Vittoria Ferdinandi, who said she believed allowing the production to film in the city would allow the community to have more “control” and authorization over “every scene” filmed there.

“We could not have authorized the filming of five scenes in Perugia,” Ferdinandi said in an open letter, which was published in regional Italian newspapers. “But they would have been filmed in any other city in our region… We thought that allowing (scenes) to be filmed here would give us an element of greater assurance and control because – as we requested – we are able to see and to authorize every scene.”

Knox and Monica Lewinsky, among others, are executive producers on the project as well This is usKJ Steinberg, who is also the creator of the series.

Last week, Kercher’s sister addressed the series, saying she found it “difficult to understand” what purpose the show would serve. “Meredith will always be remembered for her own fight for life, and yet, in her absence, her love and personality continue to shine,” Stephanie Kercher said in a statement. “We will forever feel this indescribable void, but we live up to Meredith’s standards with dignity.”