The story behind Hooters is heading to the big screen, with an independently produced feature film currently in development about the origins of the famous restaurant chain.

Titled ‘Hooters: The Movie’, the project is being produced by members of the company’s original founding team and will be directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jon Rosenbaum, whose credits include ‘Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp’ and ‘Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls’. Rosenbaum will direct from a screenplay written by Hooters co-founder Ed Droste alongside Phil Olson and Chuck Melcher.

The film follows Ted and Lenny, lifelong friends from a small Iowa town who unexpectedly create a nationwide restaurant empire. Their journey begins after Ted becomes fascinated with Diane, a woman he spots in a spring break commercial. Determined to meet her, he convinces a reluctant Lenny to travel with him to Clearwater Beach, Florida. Diane eventually becomes the first Hooters Girl, while the friends later find the business they created facing a threat from the federal government.

Casting is currently underway, led by Lisa London and Catherine Stroud of London/Stroud Casting. Production is expected to begin in November 2026 in the Tampa and Clearwater area, close to where the original Hooters restaurant opened.

Droste, who is also serving as a producer on the film, has described the story as one filled with drama, heart and comedy, while highlighting the Hooters Girls as a major part of the brand’s more than four-decade history.

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