SHOEMAKER

BIOPIC OF REEBOK FOUNDER JOE FOSTER

A powerful, true underdog story with global resonance, rooted in heart, fuelled by hustle, and stitched together with the same grit that made Reebok a household name.  A feature film based on the memoir by Joe Foster, joint founder of Reebok. In development by TF Film Productions.

Two brothers.
One shed.
No chance…
except they made
Reebok.

Synopsis

Reebok’s story begins on a dusty athletics track in Bolton, where a shy boy races not for medals but for his father’s approval. Decades later, after rejecting the stagnant traditions of his family’s shoe business, Joe Foster co-founds Reebok in a derelict brewery with his brother Jeff. Through grit and stubborn belief, they transform it into a global giant, ultimately producing shoes on a 3D printer. The film follows Joe’s battles with family estrangement, failed machinery, legal challenges, and emotional burnout – until the 1980s aerobic fitness boom propels Reebok to #1 in America, overtaking Adidas and Nike. It’s a true underdog story of legacy, reinvention, and running your own race.

Why now?

Audiences crave true stories of visionaries and entrepreneurs (Air, The Founder, Tetris). Shoemaker tells the gritty, heartfelt and quintessentially British journey behind Reebok – a brand that shaped sports, fashion, and global identity.

Comparable films

Air, Ford v Ferrari, The Founder, Billy Elliot meets Shoe Dog

Audience

Adults 30+, biopic and brand-story fans, entrepreneurs, sports enthusiasts, and fans of cultural history.