‘Hooters: The Movie’ follows a fictionalized depiction of the chain’s development.
ByJaelani Turner-Williams
August 29, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Hooters: The Movie will fictionalize the restaurant chain’s origins through longtime friends Ted and Lenny, who launch the business before facing a government shutdown threat.
- Jon Rosenbaum will direct the film, with casting underway and production scheduled to begin in November near the original Hooters location in Tampa/Clearwater.
- Co-founder and producer Ed Droste promises “a lot of drama, but a lot of heart and fun too,” as the project arrives after Hooters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last February.
Hooters, despite filing for bankruptcy last year, is the subject of a semi-biographical movie currently in development.
According to Deadline, Hooters: The Movieis being directed by Jon Rosenbaum while casting is currently in the works. Although a fictionalized depiction about how Hooters started, the film follows Ted and Lenny, longtime friends from Iowa who build the national chain before it’s threatened to be shut down by the government.
Also centered in the plot is character Diane, a woman that Ted admires after seeing her in a spring break commercial. At Ted’s request, Lenny travels with him to Clearwater, Florida, to recruit the woman as the inaugural Hooters girl.
“I think people are going to enjoy watching how we were really just some guys who didn’t know what we were doing, but had a great time doing it,” stated Ed Droste, a Hooters co-founder and film producer.
“There’s a lot of drama, but a lot of heart and fun too,” he continued. “And of course, our world-famous Hooters Girls are the real stars. For over 40 years Hooters has been America’s oasis in good times and bad. It’s time to deliver a taste of our big-hearted culture and famous humor to the world.”
Production is set to begin in November in the Tampa/Clearwater area, near the location of the first Hooters.
The movie could revitalize Hooters’ popularity, as last February, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a period of financial troubles. NBA players Kevin Durant and Devin Booker struggled with the news, as seen in an AI-generated Instagram Story depicting the athletes at the restaurant.
