A first-look photo of Éanna Hardwick as Roy Keane and Steve Coogan as Mick McCarthy in their upcoming film Saipan has been released.
The new Irish film will trace the events leading up to the 2002 Fifa World Cup, exploring the gripping feud that unfolded between Ireland’s football captain and manager, which resulted in Keane being sent home when the team was preparing in Saipan.
The infamous rivalry between the pair garnered widespread media attention, dividing public opinion nationally and in the broader sporting world. Saipan’s producers have called the film “a true-life comedy of the most epic proportions,” adding that “this is the definitive account of one of the most fractious falling-outs in the history of sport”.
Based on an original script by Paul Fraser (Heartlands) and made by award-winning filmmakers Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn’s, the film is set for theatrical release next year.
The still, shared by Wildcard and Bankside Films, depicts the two football personalities sitting together in what appears to be a steamroom with Cork native Hardwicke wearing the white jersey from Ireland’s 2002 World Cup kit.
Alongside Bafta-nominated Hardwicke and two-time Academy Award nominee Coogan, the film features a star-studded supporting cast including Alice Lowe of Sightseers, Jamie Beamish who previously starred in Derry Girls, Alex Murphy from The Young Offenders, Bridgerton’s Harriet Cairns and Peter McDonald from The Batman.
The film is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures (Evil Dead Rise, Cocaine Bear, Black 47) along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films (Kneecap, No Stone Unturned). Patrick O’Neill and Rachael O’Kane are serving as Executive Producers.
