A new feature film has wrapped production in Baltimore.
“They Fight,” based on the 2018 documentary of the same name, follows Walt Manigan, a talented boxer and reformed ex-convict as he rebuilds his life and family.
The A/Vantage Pictures production filmed for nearly three weeks in the fall, hiring 375 workers as cast and crew and utilizing goods and services from approximately 100 local businesses. The Maryland Film Office estimates that the production generated an economic impact of $9.4 million while filming in Maryland.
The film stars André Holland (Moonlight); Wendell Pierce (The Wire); and Emmy Award winner Samira Wiley (Orange is the New Black). It is produced by Maryland native Jason Michael Berman, and writer and director Sheldon Candis, who hails from Baltimore. The movie will be released on Disney+ and Hulu in 2026.
“Sheldon and I were both thrilled to be able to come back to our hometown of Baltimore and make our new movie together, which is an inspirational sports story that we hope gives audiences hope,” said Jason Michael Berman, producer of “They Fight” and president of A/Vantage Pictures. “The crew in Baltimore was great and the State and City government agencies were extremely helpful to work with. We look forward to bringing ‘They Fight’ to audiences worldwide next year.”
To support the production, the state worked with A/Vantage Pictures in applying for the Maryland Film Production Activity Tax Credit, which covers certain costs necessary to carry out film production activity in the state.
