Hooters Origin Movie
Original Hooters Founders Are Producing a New Feature Film About the Brand
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Key Points
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Jon Rosenbaum, the film’s director, is best known for Disney Channel hits such as K.C. Undercover, Bunk’d, Raven’s Home, and Bizaardvark, highlighting a TV-genre background for the project.
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Casting is being led by Lisa London and Catherine Stroud of London/Stroud Casting, indicating a formal, industry-backed casting process.
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Ed Droste, a co-founder and producer, emphasizes that the film will mix drama with heart and humor and notes that Hooters Girls are central to the story.
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The project is framed as a blend of a funny buddy comedy and an inspiring biopic about the Hooters origin story, as described by Rosenbaum.
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Filming will take place in the Tampa/Clearwater area, the site of the original Hooters restaurant opening in 1983.
Hooters is getting the movie treatment. Variety reports that the brand's founders are independently producing Hooters: The Movie, a feature film following two lifelong Iowa friends who accidentally build a restaurant empire. The project is directed by Jon Rosenbaum, best known for Disney Channel hits like K.C. Undercover and Raven's Home. Production kicks off in November 2026 in Tampa/Clearwater, Florida—where the first Hooters opened in 1983.
A Buddy Comedy Meets Origin Story
The film centers on Ted and Lenny, the two protagonists who launch Hooters by accident. Variety describes it as a blend of funny buddy comedy and inspiring biopic. Co-founder Ed Droste is writing and producing, emphasizing that the story mixes drama with heart and humor. Diane, the first Hooters Girl, plays a key role in the narrative. The filmmakers aim to capture both the cultural impact and the personalities behind the brand's explosive growth.
Director Brings TV Comedy Pedigree
Jon Rosenbaum comes to the project with a strong television background. Variety notes he directed popular Disney Channel shows including K.C. Undercover, Bunk'd, Raven's Home, and Bizaardvark. His experience with ensemble casts and comedic timing fits the buddy-comedy tone the producers are chasing. This TV-to-film transition reflects how the project blends mainstream entertainment sensibilities with a big-screen story about an iconic brand.
Formal Casting Process Underway
The project is recruiting talent through London/Stroud Casting, run by industry veterans Lisa London and Catherine Stroud. Their involvement signals a professional, studio-caliber casting process despite the independent production status. Filming will unfold in the Tampa/Clearwater area—the actual birthplace of Hooters—adding authenticity to the production. No cast announcements have been made yet, though the search is active ahead of the November 2026 start date.
From Iowa to Icon
The Hooters story itself is cinematic: two friends from a small Iowa town take a road trip to Clearwater Beach and spark what becomes a national restaurant empire. That journey forms the backbone of the screenplay. By anchoring production in Tampa/Clearwater—where it all began in 1983—the filmmakers ground the narrative in real geography and history. The script balances the founders' unlikely success with the cultural phenomenon Hooters became.
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