Cory Hardrict Sets ‘Conmen’ As First Feature To Be Produced Under His Hardcor Films Banner; More Than A Quarter Of $100M Capital Raise Completed For Upcoming Slate

Cory Hardrict Sets ‘Conmen’ As First Feature To Be Produced Under His Hardcor Films Banner; More Than A Quarter Of $100M Capital Raise Completed For Upcoming Slate

EXCLUSIVE: Actor-producer Cory Hardrict (American Sniper, The Chi) has set Conmen as the first feature to be produced under his Hardcor Films banner, after completing 30% of a $100M capital raise through Veritas Gold ProductionsPerennial Film Fund to support an upcoming slate of 10-15 productions.


Hardrict will star opposite Neil Brown Jr. in Conmen, which is one of four films he intends to make through Hardcor this year. The upcoming feature penned by Brown and Robert McEveety will watch as two Black conmen take on the guise of FBI agents in order to rip off a heroin-dealing Klansman and his Sheriff’s son. Ryan Lewis is also attached to produce the pic, with Brown co-producing. Hardrict will look to raise the remaining capital for his slate over the next three to four years, in concert with Veritas principals Harold Whitfield and Martin Scruggs.

“Hardcor Films has been a mission of mine for many years,” said Hardrict. “I am excited to take the next step in my career, and I am blessed to collaborate with like-minded partners who want to make a cultural difference. The change will not come if we wait for someone else to give it to us.”


“As an entrepreneur and fan of Cory’s work, it’s exciting to see how we can put our strengths together to bring meaningful stories to life, while offering jobs and opportunities to others in our communities,” said Veritas Partner Scruggs, who serves as a Managing Partner of the Perennial Film  Fund.


“The Perennial Film Fund and Veritas Gold Productions are honored to partner with Cory Hardrict and Hardcor Films, and together, we have the opportunity to help bring to the screen a compelling slate of culturally relevant projects that will provide a cinematic experience that people will enjoy for years to come,” added Whitfield, the founder and CEO of Veritas, who is also a Managing Partner of the Fund.


Hardrict has starred in films including City of Lies, All Eyez on Me, American Sniper, Transcendence, Warm Bodies, He’s Just Not That Into You and Gran Torino, along with such series as The Chi, All American, S.W.A.T., The Oath and Lincoln Heights. He’s previously exec produced or co-exec produced features including Neighborhood Watch, Destined, The Outpost and Karen—his mission with his new company being to create “timeless, high-quality films” akin to those he loved growing up.

Whitfield has worked in film and television for more than 25 years. He served as a consulting producer, media specialist and contract officer funding projects for the Office of Cable Television and Motion Pictures between 1995 and 2005. In 2002, he worked closely with members of Congress to ensure the passage of the American Jobs Creation Act Section 181, which provides incentives to qualified film and television productions and investors. He founded Veritas Gold Productions in 2009 to provide independent filmmakers with the capital necessary to both finance and distribute their films.


Whitfield and Scruggs established the Perennial Film Fund last year, and have generated capital through strategic partnerships with hedge funds and venture capital groups, as well as with investment bankers and high net-worth individuals.


Hardrict is represented by Buchwald and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.