Saipan, Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa's upcoming film based on the 2002 World Cup fiasco, has wrapped filming. IFTA-winning Director of Photography Piers McGrail shared the news of the wrap on Instagram.
IFTA winning actor Éanna Hardwicke (Lakelands, The Sixth Commandment) will star as Irish football legend Roy Keane, joined by Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (Philomena, Alan Partridge) as then-Ireland manager Mick McCarthy. The two men notoriously had a public falling out during the 2002 World Cup while the Irish team were training in Saipan, which caused a media storm at the time. Keane returned home to Ireland early, and Keane did not play for Ireland again until 2004 when McCarthy had stepped down.
Leyburn and Barros D’Sa (Ordinary Love) will direct from a script by Paul Fraser (Dead Man's Shoes).
Saipan is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures, along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films, with Patrick O’Neill, Eoin Egan and Rachael O’Kane serving as executive producers.
Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing have acquired U.K. and Ireland rights for the film, and are planning a release in summer 2025. Bankside Films will handle worldwide sales, with Stephen Kelliher and Sophie Green as executive producers. Saipan will be made in association with Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, with filming set for Ireland and Saipan. Greg Martin is executive producer for Screen Ireland, with Ursula Devine executive producer for Northern Ireland Screen.
