THE CREATORS OF a forthcoming film based on the tumultuous 2002 training camp in Saipan hope that the feature will have “international appeal”.

Casting was announced today for a feature-length film about the fall out of Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy, then the captain and manager of the Republic of Ireland team respectively.

The feud between Keane and McCarthy led to the captain being sent home from the World Cup training camp, an incident that, though more than 20 years old, still looms large in the Irish consciousness.

Speaking to The Journal, producer Macdara Kelleher shared insights into the scripting and casting of the film.

“We’ve been working on it for a while so it’s great to be able to announce it officially,” Kelleher said.

He said the script has been in the works for several years, adding that it was slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Getting it right, there’s a lot in it. When you’re dealing with something based on real events or real people, it takes a bit more time to get it right, it’s a bit more nuanced,” the producer said.

Two-time Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (58) is set to star as Mick McCarthy while Bafta-nominated Cork man Éanna Hardwicke (27) will appear alongside him as Roy Keane.

“For Roy, we were really keen to try to find a Cork actor,” Kelleher said. “It was also trying to find some sort of the right age – Roy was around 30 at the time.”

We did quite a wide search but Éanna felt right to us. His star is on the rise the last year or two. There’s something about that authenticity, you can’t beat it, especially when you’re telling a true story.

The film is “definitely more of a two-hander between the Roy and Mick story” but there is also a “cast of characters that features in the story as well – Niall Quin, Steven Reid, Steve Staunton, Jason McAteer – all those guys, they’re all there.” 

On creating the script, Kelleher said that the process involved drawing on various different sources and accounts of the time.

“There’s a lot of stuff that has been written and various things written from various people’s point of views, and I think when you’re trying to tell a story somewhere in the middle of all of that, you have to try to go back and look at the different versions. There’s also certain things in the story that you probably take some liberties with,” he said.

“There’s so much information, there’s so many articles – it’s like a patchwork quilt of stories and anecdotes.”

Kelleher said that he believes the film will appeal to both an Irish and international audience.

“I think it will have an international appeal as well but is also something that would really get local interest.” 

The film is set for a theatrical release in summer 2025.