FOOTBALL fans have had their first taste of the upcoming Saipan film as the trailer for the production has been released.
Produced by the people behind hit films Kneecap and Cocaine Bear, the film tells the story of a public spat in May 2002 between the then Republic of Ireland national football team captain Roy Keane and its manager Mick McCarthy when the team was preparing for the competition in Saipan.
Keane is played played by Éanna Hardwicke in the film, with Steve Coogan playing McCarthy.
Éanna Hardwicke plays Roy Keane in the much anticipated filmThe row resulted in Keane being sent home from the squad - a move which divided public opinion.
The film seeks to capitalise on that, with the trailer asking fans to prepare to “pick your side”.
“The intense rivalry between these two personalities transcended the game, gripping an entire nation and the sporting world as a whole,” Wildcard Distribution said as they released the trailer this week.
“On the surface, the feud was all about standards, but deep down it was an incredible story of two men whose rivalry and contempt surpassed the sport they loved,” they added.
“This is the definitive account of one of the most fractious falling-outs in the history of sport.”
The film is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures, which was responsible for films like Cocaine Bear and Black 47, along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films, whose work includes Kneecap and No Stone Unturned.
