Southern filmmakers are turning to each other to fulfil their storytelling. Sports comedy “Signing Tony Raymond” is proving that the Georgia film industry is not going anywhere.
Down, set, HUT!
“Signing Tony Raymond” is a heart-warming comedy about a football coach going on an unexpected adventure to secure an all-star Alabaman. As he tackles his way through obstacles, Coach Walt McFadden (Michael Mosley) learns the importance of connection.
Written by former University of Georgia basketball player Glen Owen, this film features Michael Mosley, Rob Morgan and Mira Sorvino. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Champ Bailey worked as an executive producer and investor on this film which helped bring in notable athletes like Marshawn Lynch, Jesse Palmer and Brian Bosworth. Executive producer Mitch Olson explains how the experience and love for football helped create Coach McFadden’s satirical recruitment mission, and how Georgia production companies united to create a Southern masterpiece.
A realistic feel
Tony Raymond (Jackie Kay) has the all-star effect. MVPs seem perfect, but a player’s reality may not reflect their main image. Sandra Henderson (Mira Sorvino) and Otis Henderson (Rob Morgan) happily hold each other down in a rural Alabama home as Tony navigates his future career. Olson knows the rural lifestyle firsthand.
“Those are some of the happiest times of my life, where things were simple and slow. Where everybody knew each other, and everybody had each other’s backs,” Olson says. “Those were the things we wanted to embody in this becaus,e as an outsider, somebody comes into town looking for something, everybody knows every move they’re making.”
Football recruiters are constantly on the hunt for Tony throughout the film. Searching high and low at his house, school and even the prison where Tony’s biological father is. Sandra and Otis cannot get a break from recruiters, yet Coach McFadden stands out from the crowd. He comes from a prestigious football recruitment school and is the only coach able to connect with Tony’s parents. It’s hard to hide in this rural town. Other college recruiters and meticulous characters know Coach McFadden is there and will do anything to get what they need from him.
“Family, film, football”
Behind the scenes is almost a direct immersion into the film’s plot. Olson describes the three important things in his life as “family, film and football.” After working on this film for eight years, Olson says the cast and team have become one big family.
That feeling broadens throughout the movie. With heartfelt moments and relatable advice, viewers can find themselves relating to Coach McFadden.
“I loved the idea of a story about a guy trying to be a good guy,” says Olson. Many movies about competitive fields tend to tell a story about selfish hustle. Coach McFadden fights against greedy tactics in order to sign the all-star player throughout the film. During his adventure, Coach McFadden quickly learns the importance of connection, a theme Olson knows well through his other roles as a screenwriting professor, little league baseball coach and father.
“I don’t teach toward capability, I teach towards capacity. I teach what I think you haven’t let yourself yet understand that you’re capable of,” says Olson. This also rings true for Coach McFadden. As the football coach develops his player’s strengths, he develops his own.
“I hope that people see it simply because of the message, but equally as important, I want people to acknowledge that this is a Georgia movie,” says Olson.
The Georgia film industry
Although the film takes place in Alabama, it is a Georgia production. Written, filmed and produced in the peach state.
The film industry is most popularly known to be based in California or New York, but many blockbusters have been filmed in Georgia. Multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and popular TV series like “Stranger Things” and recently “His & Hers” were filmed in Georgia.
As Georgia builds its film hub, some production companies are moving out of the state. This has caused larger budget filming to decrease in Georgia. Some may look at this as a bad thing; however, independent production companies have stepped up.
Independent media
“This movie was made outside of the system by people who believed in a story, in a voice, and people who wanted to represent a subculture that is not often portrayed on film authentically,” says Olson.
In October 2025, “Signing Tony Raymond” first premiered at the Austin Film Festival. It hit theaters in January 2026 in select theaters including AMC, a chain more supportive of including indie movies in their theaters. Most indie films go straight to streaming services because it costs more for deals with theater chains.
Indie films still break barriers in theaters despite a lower budget. Films like “Wishful Thinking,” “Hamnet” and recently Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” have indie fans excited for their theater releases.
Despite popular production companies moving out of Georgia, Olson believes the future remains bright for the state’s industry.
“This small independent film making it to the theaters, getting these reviews, having the impact is a very, very good sign that the future of Georgia film is bright,” says Olson.
According to Olson, Georgia film has everything that these large production companies have, except for funding. This film was worked on during the SAG-AFTRA strike, but luckily, they had a waiver and strong athletic connections to get great actors.
“It was an Odyssey trying to get this movie made, it was an odyssey trying to sign Tony Raymond,” says Olson.
”Signing Tony Raymond” will be available to rent on Amazon Prime and AppleTV on March 6, 2026.
