Rob Zombie Targets Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Team For Feature ‘Broad Street Bullies’

[Irishjim]

EXCLUSIVE: Rob Zombie will write, direct and produce Broad Street Bullies, a film about the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team that evolved from a cellar dwelling expansion team into a team that racked up victories and penalty minutes in equal measure during the 70s. Zombie, known for his head-banging music before transitioning to genre films like House of1000 Corpses and Halloween, is making a departure with this film, sort of, because the Flyers brutal style of play is genre-worthy and has the makings for a hockey film on the order of the 1977 sports film classic Slap Shot.

The physical play of the Flyers was legendary, to the point that when they played the Soviet Union’s supposedly invincible and tough Red Army team, the Flyers roughed them up so badly that the Russian team left the ice in the first period, and only returned when told they would not get paid if they didn’t. The Flyers won the game 4-1, with head coach Fred Shero proclaiming, “Yes we are world champions. If they had won, they would have been world champions. We beat the hell out of a machine.” Despite being known as Freddy’s Philistines because of the work of enforcers like Dave Schultz, the Flyers had skilled players like Bobby Clarke and won back to back Stanley Cup championships in two-fisted fashion. Their exploits were captured in the HBO docu Broad Street Bullies.

Zombie got the rights to the team’s story, and has the full support of the Flyers organization. He likened the tone of the tale to Rocky meets Boogie Nights on ice. “Each character involved is more outrageous than the next,” Zombie said. “The backdrop of the turbulent year of 1974 is perfect for this ‘stranger than fiction’ sports tale.”

Former Flyers great and team senior vice president Clarke is appropriately stoked. “The great Rob Zombie making a drama feature film about the Broad Street Bullies is exciting and thrilling for all of us! I look forward to seeing it.”

Zombie will produce with Andy Gould, Les Borsai and Jeremy Platt. They are tying down the financing and hope to drop the puck on this one shortly. Zombie is in post production on his genre film The Lords of Salem, which is produced by Haunted Movies, the partnership between Paranormal Activity’s Jason Blum, Steven Schneider and Oren Peli along with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik.

[926]

Any casting suggestions?

http://www.deadline....street-bullies/

"Rob Zombie will write, direct and produce Broad Street Bullies, a film about the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team that evolved from a cellar dwelling expansion team into a team that racked up victories and penalty minutes in equal measure during the 70s. Zombie, known for his head-banging music before transitioning to genre films like House of 1000 Corpses and Halloween, is making a departure with this film, sort of, because the Flyers brutal style of play is genre-worthy and has the makings for a hockey film on the order of the 1977 sports film classic Slap Shot."

Zombie got the rights to the team’s story, and has the full support of the Flyers organization. He likened the tone of the tale to Rocky meets Boogie Nights on ice. “Each character involved is more outrageous than the next,” Zombie said. “The backdrop of the turbulent year of 1974 is perfect for this ‘stranger than fiction’ sports tale.”

Former Flyers great and team senior vice president Clarke is appropriately stoked. “The great Rob Zombie making a drama feature film about the Broad Street Bullies is exciting and thrilling for all of us! I look forward to seeing it.”

[Phillygrump]

This is pretty awesome

[926]

I heard Zombie wants Bryz to play Tretiak

[926]

IrishJim beat me to the puck!

[Irishjim]

ya gotta be super quick around here

[jammer2]

@926 This is one of the coolest things I've heard in a while. I don't really care for Rob's first and foremost genre horror, but even in those deadbeat plots you could see his artistic side showing through....and he actually found new ways to deflie the human body....lol. Like his music though, hope he does the soundtrack with some orginal stuff thrown in.

[926]

@jammer2 - agreed!! After that great HBO doc on 'em it seems too perfect to pass up, hope it gets the $$$ (pretty sure Comcast will get it instant on-demand distribution!)

[sarsippius]

I do not have words to describe the coolness of this news.

Awesomely awesome will have to suffice

[mojo1917]

anyone besides me think Rob Zombie is an overrated film maker....

halloween 2.0 wtf anyone ?

great, they're making a movie, not thrilled by RZ being associated with it.

"oh it'll be just like slap shot"... Slapshot: that movie was boobs , leave it be.

sorry to be donny downcast on this.

Edit: I will however buy a broad street zombies shirt as soon as they are available

[Philly29]

I ****inglove it, i can not wait to see this!

[Irishjim]

Who will play Howard Eskin in the Rob Zombie movie? I really hope it's David Spade

[Bertmega]

@Irishjim

I heard Michael Gross circa 1982 will be playing Eskin..... fur coat and all.