NBA legend spotted filming mob drama ‘Gravesend’ • Brooklyn Paper

What an achievement!

Dyker Heights was in the mood Monday when basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal was spotted filming scenes for the third season of the hit mafia series “Gravesend” on the neighborhood’s basketball courts.

O’Neal, known for his larger-than-life personality both on and off the field, was spotted filming scenes for the show, sparking excitement among local fans eager to catch a glimpse. Local children — some of whom were even selected to be extras — were eager to shake the 7-foot-1 superstar’s hand.

The hit Amazon Prime series, written, directed and starring William DeMeo, is set in the historic South Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1980s and follows the life of the main character, Benny Zerletta, a self-proclaimed mafia “soldier.”

When the show’s third season was announced late last year, DeMeo hinted at exciting new additions to the growing “Gravesend” cast, including O’Neal, who was also spotted filming on Coney Island in June.

DeMeo, a native of Gravesend, was introduced to O’Neal by his good friend Steve Martorano, owner of Cafe Martorano in Fort Lauderdale. He was pleased to discover that the sports legend enjoys a good mob drama.

“We love Shaq and we’ve gotten to know Shaq as a person. Shaq loves this genre — ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘A Bronx Tale,’ ‘The Godfather’ — “We were able to write a role for him,” DeMeo told Brooklyn Paper in June. “We had a character for someone who fits with Benny Z, my character, and out of those characters we created Mustafa, Shaq’s character. They kind of do business together.”

Other icons viewers can expect to see in the upcoming season of “Gravesend” include Talia Shire, Fran Drescher, Joseph D’Onofrio, Chazz Palminteri, Vincent Pastore, Andrew “Dice” Clay and Mario Cantone.

Since its release during the pandemic in 2020, the series has gained a growing fan base and become a Hollywood blockbuster. Despite its small cast, crew, and modest budget, the DeMeo family believes they’ve managed to put a once lesser-known part of Brooklyn on the map in a major way.

“It’s an independent show, which is almost impossible to do because a lot of the shows that people watch are backed by networks or big studios like Netflix or Amazon or Hulu,” said DeMeo’s son, Cristian, who also stars on the show. “It’s great. It’s a smaller team, but we’re just grateful and blessed to have all the people who tuned in and all the people who want more.”

When asked how he felt during Monday’s taping, DeMeo told Brooklyn Paper, “We’re bringing 1987 back to Brooklyn now, so it’s a good day.”

Additional reporting by Melissa Fishman.