Steve Coogan is to play former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy in a new Irish film on the events leading up to the Boys in Green’s 2002 World Cup campaign, titled Saipan.
The film will look at the events which led to Ireland captain Roy Keane being dramatically sent home from the squad following a public row with McCarthy, as Ireland prepared for their campaign in Saipan.
This quarrel led to a divide in public opinion regarding who was to blame throughout the country, with some people blaming McCarthy, and others blaming Keane.
Alongside Coogan, BAFTA nominee Éanna Hardwicke will play Roy Keane.
Saipan will also be made in association with Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen. Shooting in Ireland and Saipan will also take place later this Summer.
“drew battle lines”
The feature film which has been appropriately titled, Saipan, will go into production during the Summer.
It will also be directed by filmmakers Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, who will work off a script written by Paul Fraser.
“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”, D’Sa and Leyburn said.
Saipan will also be produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures, as well as Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler from Fine Point Films.
Executive producers also include Eoin Egan, Patrick O’Neill and Rachel O’Kane.
“A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan”, Kelleher and Keville said on this project.
“Next year audiences will finally get to experience first-hand the feud between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy and why it was labelled ‘the worst preparation for a World Cup campaign ever’, they added. “We are so excited to have Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn direct this iconic story with our equally iconic cast”.
The UK and Ireland rights for this movie have also been acquired by Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing.
Saipan is set for release to cinemas next Summer.
