Irish football fans, get ready, one of the most controversial moments in Irish sporting history is coming to the big screen.
Wildcard and Vertigo Releasing have just dropped the teaser trailer for SAIPAN, the hotly anticipated new drama that retells the infamous clash between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, to view please click here
Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s preparations for the tournament in Japan and South Korea, SAIPAN brings to life the now-legendary fallout that divided the nation and dominated headlines.
What began as a dispute over training standards and professionalism exploded into one of the most dramatic sporting controversies of modern times — with Keane walking out on the team just days before their opening match.
The film stars BAFTA nominee Éanna Hardwicke (Lakelands, The Sixth Commandment) as Roy Keane, delivering what’s expected to be a career-defining performance.
Opposite him, two-time Oscar nominee Steve Coogan (Philomena, The Reckoning) takes on the role of Mick McCarthy, capturing the steely resolve of a manager under fire from both players and press.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaking duo Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Good Vibrations, Ordinary Love), SAIPAN promises to be more than just a football film.
It’s an intense character-driven drama about pride, power, loyalty, and how the pressures of national expectations can tear a team, and two men, apart.
“The Keane-McCarthy saga is about far more than football,” the filmmakers said in a joint statement.
“It’s about identity, class, pride, and the weight of leadership. We wanted to get under the skin of two strong-willed individuals who, in many ways, were destined to collide.”
Joining Hardwicke and Coogan is a strong Irish and UK supporting cast, including Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Jamie Beamish (Derry Girls), Alex Murphy (The Young Offenders), Harriet Cains (Bridgerton), and Peter McDonald (The Batman).
SAIPAN is written by Paul Fraser (A Room for Romeo Brass) and produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville of Wild Atlantic Pictures (Black 47, Cocaine Bear), along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler of Fine Point Films (Kneecap, No Stone Unturned).
Executive producers include Patrick O’Neill and Rachael O’Kane.
The project was developed with the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, BFI Global Screen, Coimisiún na Meán and RTÉ.
With Bankside Films handling global sales and anticipation building online, SAIPAN is already being tipped as a must-see for football fans and cinephiles alike.
The full trailer and release date are expected later this summer.