Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke play the respective roles of soccer supervisor and soccer star who butt heads on the 2002 World Cup.
Because the Olympic video games begin this summer time, Selection studies on a brand new upcoming movie about an notorious world sports activities occasion. Comedy actor Steve Coogan is about to play former Eire soccer supervisor Mick McCarthy together with the fast-rising and BAFTA-nominated Irish star Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment, Lakelands), who will probably be portraying Manchester United and Eire soccer legend Roy Keane, within the Irish film Saipan. McCarthy and Keane would endure a public falling out and this battle would be the focus of the movie.
Saipan will probably be helmed by directing duo Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa. Leyburn and D’Sa have additionally labored collectively up to now on the critically acclaimed Irish comedy-drama Good Vibrations from 2013, in addition to the romance Abnormal Love, which starred Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville from 2019. The duo will probably be directing from an authentic script by Paul Fraser, whose previous work included the movie Useless Man’s Footwear. Manufacturing is because of begin this summer time.
In accordance with Selection, “The movie’s title comes from the notorious so-called ‘Saipan Incident’ in 2002, when Keane was captaining the Irish nationwide facet forward of the FIFA World Cup finals in Japan. Whereas getting ready on the tiny island of Saipan, the soccer star — recognized for his hot-headed temperament on and off the sphere — had a really public, very bitter disagreement with McCarthy, reportedly livid on the coaching circumstances, technique, journey preparations, food regimen and in addition McCarthy’s competence.
A subsequent interview with Keane within the Irish press sparked a serious fallout on the camp, the place the footballer is alleged to have delivered an offended verbal tirade at McCarthy in entrance of his teammates, telling him to ‘stick your World Cup up your arse’ earlier than flying again to Eire (though McCarthy later said he had despatched him house). The incident induced an enormous controversy in Irish society over who was guilty and Keane wouldn’t play for his nation once more till 2004, after McCarthy had stepped down as supervisor.”
