Inspired by a Brooklyn Fitness Empire and FBI History, The Final Fight Holds Initial Successful Grassroots Campaign

The Final Fight raises $12K+ on Seed&Spark, gains industry momentum, attaches director Steven Feder, and prepares to film in NYC this March.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, February 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Final Fight, an upcoming, socially relevant inspired by a true story, has completed its initial fundraising campaign on Seed&Spark, raising over $12,000 from more than 100 supporters in 45 days. The funds are being applied toward casting, location scouting, and pre-production as the production prepares to film in New York City and Brooklyn at the end of March. The film is currently casting its principal roles with New York casting director Adrienne Stern working closely with agents and managers. The project has attracted interest from established New York actors, reflecting growing industry momentum around the film inspired by the filmmaker’s personal story. Todd J. Stein has attached director Steven Feder to helm the project. Feder’s recent A Brooklyn Love Story, filmed in New York last year. Stein and Feder met in the late 1980s and share New York roots. Feder said The Final Fight is a story he relates to and what connected Feder and Stein through their personal experiences.

The Final Fight is inspired by the life and later years of Stein’s father, Marvin Stein, a fitness pioneer who rose from the streets of Flatbush to build a chain of health clubs beginning in the 1960’s with locations in the five boroughs. Marvin fought in the Golden Gloves in 1945, 1946, and 1947, before transitioning into the fitness business. He was a known trailblazer and his clubs became notable gathering locations for influential figures including attorneys, judges, district attorneys, and organized crime figures and well as celebrities. His Brooklyn Heights location later became a Gold’s Gym after Stein sold the Shelton Health Club. Positioned across from the Waldorf Astoria, the Manhattan outpost drew an eclectic, high-profile members, counting Liza Minnelli, Burt Reynolds, George Hamilton, and Barbra Streisand among its regulars.

During the 1970s, future FBI Director Louis J. Freeh spent years undercover as a member of the Shelton Health Club’s Brooklyn location. Freeh built relationships that ultimately contributed to major organized crime prosecutions. That period was later chronicled in Freeh’s memoir My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror and in the Vanity Fair feature article “The Freeh Agent.” Freeh described working there early in his career while posing as an unemployed young lawyer in order to gain the trust of organized crime figures who used the gym as a meeting place. “You know, I’m a lawyer, but I haven’t really found a job yet,” Freeh reportedly told one associate as part of his cover. According to Vanity Fair’s article, he blended naturally into the environment, often “using the Nautilus machines or wandering between the lockers in a towel, right in the middle of the workday,” reinforcing the impression that he had ample free time. In “My FBI”, Freeh later reflected on how the neighborhood gym was critical to undercover investigations, where patience, proximity, and personal relationships was essential to developing his cases.

Stein reached out to Freeh seeking comment for the project and received the following response from his office: “Mr. Freeh has received your email and he wishes you and your family well. He does not have anything to add to what’s already set forth in the book.” “I wanted to talk to Mr. Freeh about his days at my father’s club,” Stein said, “I wanted to learn about that history. Maybe I can invite him to the premiere of the film." The Shelton Health Club’s historical relevance is further reinforced by its documented connection to Operation UNIRAC, a major federal organized crime investigation targeting union racketeering and mob influence over legitimate businesses.

“Growing up, I spent time at my father’s club and I knew some of what went on, but I wasn’t aware of all the activities,” Stein recounted. “I knew about the vaults and the steam room where deals happened, because those inside the steam room weren’t able to be wiretapped. I didn’t know the extent of the mob connections until after my father’s passing in 2022, when I found a letter addressed to him that highlighted the Shelton Health Club and its connection to Mr. Freeh.” Stein had conducted extensive interviews with his father, members of the club and others involved in his father’s life, while developing a documentary companion project to The Final Fight. During those interviews, Marvin shared details about the era. “Had I known more at the time,” Stein added, “I would have explored deeper the connection to Mr. Freeh’s work at the Shelton and how it intersected with what later became Operation UNIRAC.”

The Final Fight is ultimately a story about family, redemption, and reconciliation, exploring how an estranged father and son reunite during a battle to restore the father’s autonomy after he is placed under an unwarranted guardianship. The narrative is inspired by Stein’s real-life experience, in which his father was declared incapacitated without ever meeting the judge who made the determination. The family ultimately succeeded in restoring Marvin Stein’s civil rights.

“My mission with this film is to bring awareness to the abuse that can occur within the guardianship system and the reforms that are needed,” said Stein, “Too many individuals and families are silenced. I hope this story helps others find their voice and encourages meaningful change. There are 1.3 million elders currently in some sort of guardianship and over 50 billion assets controlled by those guardians." Production is scheduled to begin in New York in late March, with additional casting for supporting roles currently underway. The filmmakers are continuing to build partnerships with advocacy organizations, community groups, and supporters aligned with the film’s social impact mission.

Colin Harp
Team Stein
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