Hooters founders’ rise to inspire new feature film
Developing story first seen 5 hours ago
Variety’s updated film-news round-up confirms several release and industry developments, led by a Hooters origin-story film now in development. The project dramatises the founders’ rise from an Iowa friendship and a Florida road trip to a national restaurant chain, while other items cover a Brad Pitt film, revised visual-effects awards and a restored fashion documentary.
– “Hooters: The Movie”, directed by Jon Rosenbaum, is due to begin principal photography in November and is independently produced by original Hooters founding partners.
– David Fincher’s “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth”, written by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, opens exclusively in Imax worldwide for two weeks from 25 November before arriving on Netflix on 23 December.
– The Visual Effects Society has added awards for short-form visual effects, in-camera effects, and separate CG cinematography in photoreal and animated work.
– Janus Films will re-release Douglas Keeve’s restored 1995 Isaac Mizrahi documentary “Unzipped” in New York on 25 September and Los Angeles on 9 October, followed by a national rollout.
- Hooters founders are backing an origin-story film.
- Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth returns in November.
- VES expands awards and “Unzipped” returns.
New here? Start with this
Hooters is a US restaurant chain known for casual food, sport on television and waitresses wearing a distinctive uniform. It began in Florida in 1983, founded by a group of businessmen who had been friends since growing up in Iowa, and later expanded across the United States and abroad.
The planned film will focus on the early years of the company and the people who created it. Origin-story films usually turn the founding of a business or brand into a drama, following the personal relationships, risks and decisions behind its growth.
The chain has become a widely recognised part of American restaurant culture, though its business model and image have also attracted debate over the years. The project is being made with involvement from original Hooters founding partners, giving it a direct connection to the company’s early history.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters can argue that the founders’ story is a legitimate subject for a feature film: it charts an unlikely entrepreneurial journey from a friendship and road trip to a nationally recognised business. A dramatisation can examine the risks, ambition and cultural impact behind the chain while allowing audiences to judge its legacy for themselves, rather than treating controversial businesses as off-limits to storytelling.
The case against
Critics can argue that a founders-backed origin story may too readily celebrate a brand whose business model has long drawn concern for commodifying women’s appearance. They may question whether the film can provide sufficient critical distance, particularly if the original partners are producing it, and contend that any account of its success should squarely address the workers and cultural norms affected by that model.
More coverage
Culture Entertainment Film Food Health Medicine
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Variety as “Hooters Restaurant Movie in the Works — Film News in Brief”.