Bottom of the 9th, Robert Bruzio’s First Major Screenplay, to Hit Big Screen on July 19th

Jun 19, 2019 1466

Writer Robert Bruzio’s first major screenplay, Bottom of the 9th starring Joe Manganiello is set for release on July 19. The film is about a man who returns to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent mistake he made as a kid, ultimately robbing him of a professional baseball career and the love of his life.

In addition to being the film’s star, Manganiello and his brother Nick serve as co-producers alongside William Chartoff, a producer of ROCKY BALBOA, CREED and CREED 2 along with Lynn Hendee, Enders Game also produced and Raymond De Felitta (CITY ISLANDMADOFF) is the Director.

The screenplay is inspired by Bruzio witnessing the struggles of a relative he grew up with in the Arthur Avenue section of the Bronx after serving a long prison sentence. He also wanted to shine a light specifically on how hard it is to return to civilian life following a long prison sentence. He then combined his own personal experiences along with his love for baseball, specifically the Yankees to create this unique original story.

A labor of love, Bruzio began working on this screenplay in 2003 – all while running a production company, helping manage his family’s construction business, raising his family and delivering auto parts to vendors every Saturday.  Nevertheless, through unending persistence and tenacity Robert managed to get the screenplay to ROCKY BALBOA producer William Chartoff and ultimately caught his big break when Joe Manganiello received a copy of it.  Immediately, Joe Manganiello was personally and deeply affected by the screenplay and knew he had to produce and star in this film, and aided with casting, including the selection of the film’s love interest, Sofia Vergara.  Bruzio also serves as Associate Producer on the film, which was filmed in his old neighborhood where the movie is based upon and helped secure many of the authentic locations.

In addition to Bottom of the 9th, Bruzio is working on a few treatments across both film and television including a new screenplay titled One Last Song, which also touches on the theme of redemption and last chances, but this time in the music industry.  As well, he’s developing a TV series called Teitel Brothers, a true story about a Jewish family’s struggle when opening an Italian grocery store in a predominately Italian neighborhood ultimately building an unlikely empire.  He has also completed two screenplays for Singapore-based film finance company Salt Media and Entertainment includingLeading with Honor, about the true story heroics of a Vietnam POW who survived daily torture at the Hanoi Hilton.

For more information on Robert Bruzio visit, www.robertbruzio.com

About Robert Bruzio

Robert Bruzio is an accomplished writer, producer and director. His current project is Bottom of the 9th, a movie starring Joe Manganiello about a man’s return to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent mistake he made, ultimately robbing him of a professional baseball career and the love of his life to be released on July 19th. Bruzio is working on a new screenplay titled One Last Song, which again touches on the theme of last chances and is developing a TV series calledTeitel Brothers, based on a true story about a Jewish owned Italian grocery store in a predominately Italian neighborhood and how it became an empire.  

For more information on Robert Bruzio visit, www.robertbruzio.com

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