Steve Coogan and Sixth Commandment's Éanna Hardwicke to star in Roy Keane Saipan incident film
The film will explore the fallout between Keane and Mick McCarthy ahead of the 2002 World Cup.
One of the most seismic moments in Irish football history is set to be explored in a brand new film – with Steve Coogan taking on the role of former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy.
The movie – titled Saipan – will cover the fallout between McCarthy and legendary Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, with The Sixth Commandment's Éanna Hardwicke starring as Keane.
The midfielder had been the national team's captain and star player, but he was sent home by McCarthy from the squad's camp on the Japanese island of Saipan shortly before the tournament got under way.
McCarthy's decision came after Keane had expressed his concerns around a number of issues relating to the team's training camp and the manager's own abilities – and the incident was met with huge public scrutiny from the press and fans, whose opinions were firmly divided.
The film – which is set to begin shooting this summer – will be directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Ordinary Love) from an original script by Paul Fraser (Heartlands) and is expected to be released in summer 2025.
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In a joint statement, Barros D'Sa and Leyburn said: "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."
Meanwhile, producers Macdara Kelleher and John Keville said that the film will allow audiences to "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'".
It's not yet clear who else will appear in the film alongside Coogan and Hardwicke as other key members of the Ireland squad – but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any further casting announcements.
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Saipan is scheduled for released in UK cinemas in summer 2025.
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