East Greenwich’s Verdi Productions has secured distribution deals for two of its recent Rhode Island-made movies – with release dates in the first two months of next year – and a third movie expected to hit screens next summer.
Brainstorm Media has picked up North American distribution rights for Verdi’s thriller “Sleepwalker” and rom-com “The Roaring Game,” according to Chad A. Verdi, president of Verdi Productions.
‘Sleepwalker’ to hit theaters Jan. 9
“Sleepwalker,” starring Hayden Panettiere, will have a limited theatrical release on Jan. 9, accompanied by wider streaming availability.
Panettiere plays Sarah, a grieving mother who is haunted by the tragic loss of her daughter in a car accident that left her abusive husband in a coma. As her sleepwalking episodes intensify, paralleling her descent into darkness, she becomes plagued by haunting visions as the line between reality and nightmare blurs.
Panettiere vaulted to stardom in the 2006 TV series “Heroes,” in which she played indestructible Texas cheerleader Claire Bennett, object of the show’s iconic line “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” She has gone on to play heroine Kirby Reed in two installments in the “Scream” horror-movie franchise, country singer-songwriter Juliette Barnes in the TV series “Nashville” and protagonist Jaq in the 2024 thriller “Amber Alert.”
“Sleepwalker” marks the feature-film directorial debut for writer-director Brandon Auman, who has written for TV series “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour” and animated shows “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Star Wars: Resistance.”
“Sleepwalker” filmed in East Greenwich and other Southern Rhode Island locations in January and February of this year. It was produced in conjunction with Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way. The cast also includes:
Beverly D’Angelo, known for playing mom Ellen Griswold in the “Vacation” film franchise.
Justin Chatwin, known for the movie “War of the Worlds” with Tom Cruise.
Mischa Barton, known for the TV series “The OC” and the Bruce Willis movie “The Sixth Sense.”
Lori Tan Chinn, known for the TV shows “Orange is the New Black,” “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens” and “A Man on the Inside.”
Child actors Corrine Sweeney and Laird Lacoste.
‘The Roaring Game’ to be released in mid February
Verdi said that “The Roaring Game,” a story of redemption centered on the Olympic ice sport of curling, will be released Feb. 17 or 18 to coincide with next year’s Winter Olympics.
Written and directed by Cranston’s Tom DeNucci and starring Mickey Rourke, Justin Chatwin and William Forsythe, with cameos by former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski, the romantic comedy tells the story of high school custodian Rickey, who loses everything when his girlfriend is picked to play hockey for Team USA. Rickey looks to win her back by forming a misfit curling team and going for the gold, capturing the nation’s heart in the process.
Gronkowski will also feature in another Verdi Productions film slated to release in 2026: “Bad News on the Doorstep.” Verdi said he expects the film to be released in July or August.
Set in the 1950s, it stars Dante Palminteri as “Frank” and Nick Davi as “Gino,” two New Jersey high school football players at a crossroads who must choose whether to pursue a life in organized crime or not. The film co-stars Sistine Stallone, as “Ruth,” Frank’s love interest.
The cast is joined by the male leads’ more famous fathers, Chazz Palminteri, known for 1993’s “A Bronx Tale” and 1994’s “Bullets Over Broadway,” as well as the 2019 Verdi Productions film “Vault,” in which he played Raymond Patriarca in a story about the 1975 Bonded Vault heist in Providence, and Robert Davi, known for the 1988 Bruce Willis hit “Die Hard,” 1985’s “The Goonies” and the 1989 James Bond movie “Licence to Kill.” Stallone’s famous father is not involved in the production.
Gronkowski plays a high school football coach.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI made films ‘Sleepwalker,’ ‘The Roaring Game’ get distribution deals
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