'Saipan' - A film based on Roy Keane's infamous feud with Mick McCarthy during the 2002 World Cup is due to be released in summer 2025.
The fall-out was among the most bitter and high profile in the history of Irish sport with the team captain flying home early from the tournament, leading to a media storm at home and abroad.
Filming is set to begin shortly according to Variety, with big name stars Steve Coogan and Eanna Hardwicke cast to play McCarthy and Keane respectively, detailing the fall-out which arose over training conditions and professionalism.
'Saipan,' which will be directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa is described by its producers as a 'firsthand' insight into the feud.
“A million words have been written about what happened on that fateful week in 2002 on the tiny island of Saipan,” said producers Macdara Kelleher and John Keville.
“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," they added.
Eanna Hardwicke, who will be playing Keane is a fellow Corkman and was nominated for a BAFTA this year.
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
He also starred in Lakelands, a drama set in Ireland about a young gaelic footballer who suffered an injury on a night out.
Coogan, cast as McCarthy, is a two time Oscar nominee for his roles in 'Philomena,' and 'The Reckoning.' He is best known for the creation of Alan Partridge and is of Irish descent, with his mother hailing from county Mayo.
"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," said the film's directors.
