Irish actor Colm Meaney (Kings, Intermission) is set to star in Emmy-award winning director Tom Hooper’s ‘The Damned United', the biopic of English soccer coach Brian Clough.
The film will tell the true story of controversial football manager Clough and his short but turbulent 44-days as the coach of Leeds United in 1974. The script is penned by Peter Morgan (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen). Hooper’s previous directing credits include ‘Elizabeth I’ and ‘Longford’.
Meaney will play rival coach Don Revie, alongside Michael Sheen (The Queen, Blood Diamond) as Clough, Timothy Spall (Sweeney Todd, Enchanted) as Peter Taylor and Jim Broadbent (Bridget Jones, Vanity Fair) will be the chairman of Derby County.
'The Damned United' is due to begin shooting in late May, financed by Sony and BBC Films.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to the film
Meaney is also working on an American version of TV series 'Life on Mars', in which he stars alongside Irish actor Jason O’Mara. A full series was commissioned this week by US station ABC after a successful pilot episode.
