Antwon Tanner (One Tree Hill) is bringing the laughs in The Roaring Game, a new sports comedy from producer Chad A. Verdi and Verdi Productions (Bleed for This). He will star alongside Darin Brooks (Blue Mountain State), and Fivel Stewart (The Recruit), Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie), and Justin Chatwin (Shameless) in this underdog story with a unique twist.
Written and directed by Tom DeNucci (Vault), the film follows Rickey, a high school custodian who finds himself in crisis when his girlfriend, Kelly, is chosen to play hockey for Team USA at the World Games, leaving him behind. Determined to prove himself, he pulls together an unlikely curling team, using his janitorial know-how to take on the competition and go for gold.
The film recently wrapped production on the East Coast, with a supporting cast that includes John Fiore (The Sopranos), Paul Johansson (One Tree Hill), Eric Lutes (Caroline in the City), Brett Azar (Young Rock), Jonathan Stoddard (Til Death), and Rob Goon (A Day to Die).
“We’ve assembled an incredible cast of comedic talent to bring this story to life,” said Verdi. “Audiences are going to have a blast watching Rickey and his team fight for their place in the World Games.”
For DeNucci, stepping into comedy was all about creating a much-needed escape. “With everything going on in the world, I wanted to tell a story that embraces the lighter side of life. We had so much fun on set, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience that joy,” he shared.
Verdi Productions has been behind recent releases like Chosen Family (Heather Graham, Julia Stiles), Junction (Bryan Greenberg, Griffin Dunne, Sophia Bush), and the documentary Knockout Blonde, which tells the story of transgender boxing manager Kellie Maloney.
The team is currently in talks with distributors, with plans to release The Roaring Game around the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Stay tuned for more updates—and in the meantime, check out a first look at the film below.