EAST GREENWICH, RI--(Marketwired - Feb 26, 2014) - Verdi Productions and The Woodhaven Production Company are pleased to announce that award winning producer Chad A. Verdi will produce three feature films over the next 10 months. Verdi is now teamed with Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese (THE DEPARTED, GOODFELLAS) and Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff (THE DEPARTED, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) on two of his next three films.

The first film that Verdi and his wife Michelle will executive produce is titled Bad Hurt. Bad Hurt is currently being filmed in NY with principal photography ending in mid-March. Bad Hurt, a drama which follows the struggles of a blue collar American family, is directed by Mark Kemble off his screenplay which he wrote alongside Jamieson Stern. The film stars Theo Rossi ("Sons of Anarchy", "Cloverfield", "Red Sands") Karen Allen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark", "The Perfect Storm", "Scrooged") and Ashley Williams ("Margin Call", "Something Borrowed", "How I Met Your Mother").

The second feature is titled Almost Mercy and was written by B. Dolan and Tom DeNucci. Verdi tapped DeNucci to direct and produce. Sam Eilertsen will be the director of photography. The film tells the tale of a quaint little town with a dark secret. We focus on two outcasts, Jackson and Emil, victims of the town's seedy underbelly. Ticking time bombs, they are seeking revenge. It's a race to see who will unravel first. Dealing with issues that are far too common in our society, the film focuses on a new breed of terror. A fear that is now closer to home than ever imagined.

The film stars Kane Hodder ("Jason X", "Monster", "Hatchet"), best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in the "Friday the 13th" franchise, who will play Coach Elwood, a seedy, overly aggressive gym teacher, driven by self-help books and his obsession with inflicting mental pain on his students. The great Bill Moseley ("The Devil's Rejects", "Night of the Living Dead", "Army of Darkness") will play Pastor Johnson, an overzealous preacher, who's got the whole town fooled.

Verdi stated, "Tom DeNucci has directed two great films for us and we expect that he will repeat this again." Verdi added, "DeNucci was elevated to producer on this feature film because of all his hard work and dedication to the project. I am very happy that the flowing producers and ex-producers will be joining Tommy and I in association with LDI unlimited, David Gere, David Lussier as producers and Sherry Lussier, Michael Cole, Taylor Van Zant, Seth Rosenblit with Michelle Verdi as ex-producer and music supervisor."

The third film is titled BLEED FOR THIS and tells the true-life story of 5-time world champion Rhode Island boxer Vinny Pazienza as he recovers from a near fatal car accident that left him with a broken neck. He then goes on to win three additional world boxing titles, one of the most incredible and dramatic comebacks in sports history.

Golden Globe nominated actor Aaron Eckhart (THE DARK KNIGHT, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, I, FRANKENSTEIN) will take on the role of Paz's boxing trainer, Kevin Rooney. Rooney was the trainer to Mike Tyson when Tyson won his first heavyweight championship. Rooney had a major role in changing Vinny's boxing style that led him to become one of only two boxers ever to win titles in the lightweight and junior middle weight class in 1991. The other boxer was Roberto Duran whom Vinny fought twice with victories for Vinny in both fights.

Miles Teller (THE FANTASTIC FOUR, 21 & OVER, PROJECT X), currently starring in THAT AWKWARD MOMENT, in theaters now, will take on the role of Vinny Paz.

The powerhouse team is led by writer/director Ben Younger (BOILER ROOM, PRIME), Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese (THE DEPARTED, GOODFELLAS), Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (AMERICAN BEAUTY, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (THE DEPARTED, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET), Noah Kraft (LOOSIES), award-winning RI producer Chad A. Verdi (LOOSIES, A BET'S A BET, BAD HURT), Michelle Verdi (LOOSIES, A BET'S A BET, BAD HURT).

Verdi stated, "I am very excited about taking on the challenges of producing these three films over the next 10 months. It's a very special time for my wife Michelle and I, and our whole production team. It's not often a production company like ours has the luxury of turning down fully funded projects. We are currently booked through 2016 and it's a great position to be in."

Verdi's home-grown East Greenwich Company, Verdi Productions/Woodhaven Production Company, has produced six feature films in Rhode Island over the past four years. BLEED FOR THIS is his most ambitious project to date, with an estimated budget between $10,000,000 and $20,000,000.

Verdi added, "My producing partners Noah Kraft, my wife Michelle, and I got involved in the film business in 2009 with one purpose: to have the story of Vinny Paz told. The best thing that ever happened to this project was Ben Younger coming on board to write and direct BLEED FOR THIS. BLEED FOR THIS is Ben's vision and with the support of Martin Scorsese, Bruce Cohen and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, this film is destined for greatness. I was introduced to Martin and Emma through Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who has been instrumental in helping me develop these projects." Verdi added, "Writer/director Tom DeNucci will be brought on board as a consultant to the project. Tom will be working directly for me over the next several months in order for us to be ready to shoot sometime this summer."