Deep Cover: Is the Pizza Knight a Real Restaurant Chain?

In Prime Video’s ‘Deep Cover,’ three improv comedians get a gig of a lifetime when they are asked to become undercover operatives by a police officer who believes that their improv skills could come in handy to catch criminals. One of those three people is Orlando Bloom’s Marlon, who is a struggling actor, too dedicated to the craft of method acting. He sees the undercover thing as an opportunity to go deeper into the character. However, his past as an actor catches up when a commercial he did for the Pizza Knight plays while he tries to play a tough guy in front of hardened criminals. Interestingly, the ad character serves as an Easter egg for Bloom’s work. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Fictional Pizza Knight is a Gag That Relates to Orlando Bloom

‘Deep Cover’ is a fictional story that relies on a lot of made-up settings and stuff to create hilarious situations that throw the protagonists into one dangerous situation after another. There is no real restaurant chain by that name, but it does serve as a joke that the filmmakers make at Bloom’s expense. He plays Marlon, a struggling actor who cannot get roles because he takes himself too seriously. While the character is fictional, it seems that the writers and director of the film used this opportunity to leave some easter eggs for Bloom’s fans. For example, at one point, we see him playing an elf, which is a reference to his role as Legolas the elf in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies.

In the same vein, the Pizza Knight refers to the medieval characters that Bloom has played over the course of his illustrious career. He played a knight called Balian de Ibelin in Ridley Scott’s ‘Kingdom of Heaven.’ Additionally, he has starred in several medieval and medieval-adjacent films like ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise, ‘Troy,’ and ‘The Three Musketeers.’ With the Pizza Knight, the filmmakers take a jab at Bloom’s regular turn to characters in armor. However, that is not the only purpose of the ad.

Marlon’s work in the Pizza Knight is mentioned at the beginning of the film, when he is frustrated with not being able to land a proper role. At the time, the popularity of the Pizza Knight chain and its ads is not mentioned. This is reserved for the scene in the second half of the film where Marlon, Kat, and Hugh have spent time with the criminals to be embedded in their operation deep enough. At the same time, they run the risk of being found out, especially after they discover that they have no safety net because the officer who hired them for undercover work is a fraud.

In the scene, Marlon, who has had quite a lot of practice playing unhinged guy with a shady past, leans into it in an effort to intimidate another criminal. The fact that the Pizza Knight ad plays right at that moment not only puts him in a dangerous situation but is also utterly hilarious because it completely shatters the illusion of him being a guy that other criminals should be aware of. The comic timing in that scene adds another layer to the humor, while also raising the stakes for the character and making the overall setting even more interesting.