'Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies' Fundraising Campaign a Success

Newpaper publisher-turned movie producer Cody Knotts has two words for fans: "Thank you."

Knotts, of North Strabane, is a producer on the upcoming movie "Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies"—a project that just secured more than $30,000 in

The 30-day campaign ended with 65 people backing the film for a total investment of $30,026.

"We had some people waiting in the wings," said producer Camera Chatham Bartolotta, of Monongahela. "We had some investors waiting until the last minute."

Knotts added: "We're going to be going into development within the next month."

The script needs to be "massaged," he said, and additional talent needs to be acquired before filming starts this summer.

Part of that talent is Shane Douglas, known to fans as “The Franchise,” who is helping with choreography and casting direction, and who will star in the final film. Local actors and wrestlers from West Virginia and Pennsylvania will be used in the feature.

And Knotts has been clear: This isn’t supposed to be a campy throwback. is similar to other zombie films with relatively ordinary folks fending off the zombie horde—they just happen to be pro wrestlers who are all in one place when the epidemic breaks.