Patriots Legend, Oscar-Nominated Actor Team Up for New Film

PROVIDENCE, RI — One of the New England Patriots' most beloved legends of the “Dynasty Era” will soon be lending his allure to an upcoming feature film.

Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is set to star in “Bad News on the Doorstep,” described as “coming-of-age film” focusing on two Italian-American high school football players in 1950s New Jersey who find themselves dallying into the world of organized crime.

The film, which recently finished filming in Rhode Island, will co-star Academy Award-Nominated actor Chazz Palminteri, who is best known to audiences for his work in films such as A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects and Bullets Over Broadway.

It was directed by Tom DeNucci and produced by Chad Verdi, Sera Verdi, Michelle Verdi, Paul Luba and Chad Verdi Jr., all of whom are Rhode Islanders.

Palminteri’s son, Dante, and Nick Davi, son of Robert Davi, are the lead actors, while their fathers portray two mafia kingpins, per WPRI. Sistine Stallone, daughter of Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone, also features in the film.

The film is slated for release in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. No details are available yet on the film’s distribution.

Gronkowski’s collaboration with Palminteri is hardly his first experience with the silver screen. The charismatic tight end has also appeared in films such as Boss Level, The Instigators, Good Burger 2, and 2023’s 80 for Brady alongside his former Patriots teammates Tom Brady, Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman — as well as screen legends Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno.

Regarded as arguably the greatest tight end of all time, Gronkowski played nine seasons for the Patriots, with his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a four-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII, LV), a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was also named to the New England Patriots All-2010s team and All-Dynasty Team.