Chad Verdi Announces Self Storage 2, Talks Army of the Damned, and Lands Martin Scorsese to Co-Produce Passion Project
Steve Barton
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To say that producer Chad A. Verdi has made a splash on the horror industry would be quite the understatement. In just the last two years he has produced films starring Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Michael Berryman and many more.
And he’s just getting started.
Verdi inked a four-picture deal with Screen Media guaranteeing him distribution for his films before they were even made. A monumental feat for an independent film company. Now Verdi continues to add to his catalog of films, and even landed legendary director Martin Scorsese to co-produce a project he’s always dreamed of making.
Verdi recently sat down with Dread Central to talk about his recently wrapped film Army of the Damned and his upcoming projects. “I feel Army of the Damned is the best horror movie we’ve made yet. No question about it,” Verdi said.
Fans can expect to get a look at Army of the Damned, starring Tony Todd, Michael Berryman, Sully Erna, Joey Fatone, Jackie Moore, Tommy Dreamer, Thea Trinidad and Maria Kanellis soon. “Whether we release it at the end of 2013 or the beginning of 2014, we have distribution from Screen Media,” Verdi said. “It’ll have a limited release in theaters then hit VOD through Universal. The elements are there for an unbelievable film. It has sex, drugs and rock and roll!”
Verdi discussed some of the acting newcomers that made a splash in the film. “Thea Trinidad and Sully Erna went above and beyond,” Verdi said. “This was their first time. Sully’s the real deal. Sully can perform. I expect him to be a commodity in this sector. And Thea Trinidad and Tommy Dreamer, the first time really having lines, were great! I was actually more impressed with them than my leads. I was more impressed because I didn’t expect them to deliver the performances they did. And Joey Fatone is absolutely hilarious and might have stolen the show in this film.”
Although the unveiling of Army of the Damned is a bit down the road, the next film Verdi plans to release is his Eric Roberts vehicle Self Storage. In fact, he’s so confident the film will be a success, he’s just announced the next horror picture from his camp will be Self Storage 2, and he plans on bringing some horror heavyweights in for this sequel. “We’re thinking of coming back with Self Storage 2 for our next horror movie,” Verdi said. “Infected is doing great, but the reason for Self Storage 2 is because Eric Roberts really wants to come back and work with us. It’s going to be a 2014 production. I’m going to be speaking with agent Judy Fox about bringing in Bill Moseley and bringing Tony Todd back and having a little bit of a collaboration. We may possibly even work with Robert Englund again on this picture for a day or two. What we’re trying to do is replicate what we did in Army of the Damned, like The Expendables of a horror movie.”
Verdi discussed his vision for Self Storage 2. “The premise would be the one character who survives the original film will hunt down Eric Roberts because he’s killed all his friends,” Verdi said. “It’s more of a revenge film. Then Eric goes into the underworld to hide and he meets the Tony Todds of the world, the Robert Englunds of the world and the Bill Moseleys of the world and they protect him. We’re also trying to figure out a way to bring Jonathan Silverman back as well. We’re really excited about the project. Tony Todd had a lot of fun on Army of the Damned and he wants to come back and work with us. Robert Englund as well. So we believe we have all the talent to make an unbelievable horror movie.”
And even with all this horror going on, and quite frankly because of all this horror going on, Verdi has found time to work on the one project he’s always dreamed about, a biopic about legendary boxer Vinny Pazienza, and he’s recruited some huge names to work alongside him. “Because of all the success we’ve had with our horror films, we’re able to make Bleed for This, the story of Vinny Paz,” Verdi said. Although not in the horror vein, Bleed for This is certainly a film fans will enjoy. And the fact that it was built on the back of some kick-ass indie horror films makes it that much more enjoyable. “My producing partner, Noah Kraft, and I got involved in the film business in 2009 with one purpose: to have the story of Vinny Paz told. Over the past four years, I have produced six feature films. Recently, Ben Younger came on board to write and direct Bleed for This. It’s Ben’s vision, and we now have the support of Martin Scorsese and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, who are producing. I was introduced to Martin and Emma through Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has been instrumental in helping me develop these projects.”
Verdi continues to land some of the biggest names for his films. Names like Tony Todd, Robert Englund, Eric Roberts and now Martin Scorsese are certain to impress fans. We can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve.
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