"Saipan" will star Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy and Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke as Roy Keane.
The film, which chronicles one of the most infamous moments in Irish sporting history, is directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, according to Variety.
Variety additionally reports that the film is scheduled to be released in summer 2025.
Steve Coogan to Play Mick McCarthy, Éanna Hardwicke Cast as Roy Keane in 'Saipan' Film About Irish Soccer Icon's Infamous World Cup Walkout (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/26cHa45aQe
— Variety (@Variety) July 29, 2024
While training on the island ahead of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Keane had a public falling out with McCarthy over a number of issues, including training facilities on the island, travel arrangements, preparations for the World Cup, and McCarthy's competence as a manager.
Keane outlined his grievances during a famous interview with the Irish Times and the Irish Independent, sparking a huge row between the pair in front of the rest of the Ireland squad.
Keane, who was captain of both Ireland and Manchester United at the time, reportedly called McCarthy a "liar" and a "w*nker" during the incident, also telling his manager to "stick your World Cup up your arse."
McCarthy later held a press conference and stated that he had sent Keane home from the World Cup.
The news sent shockwaves throughout Ireland, leaving the Irish soccer team without its best player ahead of the World Cup.
In Keane's absence, Ireland qualified from a group with Germany, Cameroon, and Saudi Arabia before falling to a penalty shootout defeat against Spain in the round-of-16.
The upcoming feature film is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films. Patrick O’Neill, Eoin Egan, and Rachael O’Kane are on board as executive producers.
Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing have acquired rights for the film in Ireland and the UK and are aiming for a theatrical release in summer 2025, Variety reports. Bankside Films will handle worldwide sales.
Really excited to be partnering with @VertigoRel on SAIPAN which is set to be a major theatrical release next summer.
Starring Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy & Éanna Hardwicke as Roy Keane, the feature will tell the story of the events leading up to Ireland’s incendiary 2002… pic.twitter.com/nHBv1T1Slu
— Wildcard Distribution (@WildCardDistrib) July 29, 2024
The film is being made in association with Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen.
In a statement, producers Macdara Kelleher and John Keville said they are "thrilled" to be telling the story of one of the most infamous moments in Irish sporting history.
"A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan," they said in a statement.
"Next year, audiences will finally get to experience firsthand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labeled ‘the worst preparation for a World Cup campaign ever’. We are so excited to have Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn direct this iconic story with our equally iconic cast.
"We’re thrilled to be working with this extraordinary cast and creative team to tell the story of an infamous moment in Irish and football history that drew battle lines across a nation, cast its hopes, dreams and sense of identity into disarray, and briefly made a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific one of the most famous places on earth."
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