Inverness mansion won't house 'The Capones' show
An Inverness estate featuring seven bedrooms, five fireplaces and one indoor wave pool won't serve as a backdrop to an upcoming reality TV series about the supposed descendants of Chicago's most infamous gangster.
The village board recently turned down a request by Los Angeles-based Asylum Entertainment to spend more than two months filming “The Capones” at the 11,000-square-foot mansion at 220 Bradwell Road.
“I don't believe there was any connection with the house or the (former) residents,” Inverness Village Administrator Curt Carver said. “It's just a large, picturesque house they wanted.”
The show, set to air this fall on the Reelz channel, is a “reality docuseries” about Al Capone's spirit living on in the form of his “drama-filled, lasagna-loving dysfunctional family,” according to a news release from Asylum Entertainment and Reelz.
Although a majority of neighbors seemed to support the project and Asylum representatives promised the production would keep a low profile on the four-acre property, currently on the market for $1.549 million, Carver said officials had concerns about both public safety and zoning.
Inverness Police Chief Bob Haas said safety could be an issue if word got out and gawkers obstructed Bradwell or Roberts roads. The board, which would have to authorize filming since village code limits commercial activity at residential properties, also had reservations about the expedited process that brought the proposal before them.
“The board felt uncomfortable granting zoning relief and wanted a more formal hearing, but that would take two months,” Carver said. “That was outside of the time frame Asylum expressed.”
Each episode will follow Dom Capone running his Italian eatery, Capone's Restaurant and Pizzeria in Lombard. Aside from that location, it's unclear where else “The Capones” will film the wacky cast of characters that, despite their differences, comes together for Sunday dinner where the “drama is always spicier than the pepperoni.” Asylum Entertainment didn't return calls for comment.
It's a safe bet that Inverness is off the list, however.
“The window for those guys is so compact and narrow,” Carver said. “If it doesn't work out, they move on.”