Vertigo Releasing and Wildcard have today unveiled the first teaser trailer for Saipan, the hotly anticipated new film from award-winning directing duo Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn (Good Vibrations, Ordinary Love). The film dives headfirst into one of the most infamous bust-ups in Irish sporting history: the clash between Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy on the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Éanna Hardwicke (Lakelands, The Sixth Commandment) plays Roy Keane, with Steve Coogan (Philomena, The Reckoning) as Mick McCarthy. The film examines the events and tensions surrounding their well-documented falling-out during preparations for the 2002 World Cup — a moment that drew widespread attention in Ireland and beyond.
Based on an original script by Paul Fraser (Heartlands, A Room for Romeo Brass), Saipan charts the events leading up to — and erupting from — the team’s ill-fated training camp in Saipan, where tensions boiled over and sent shockwaves through Irish football and beyond. While ostensibly about a disagreement over training standards, the story unfolds as a deeply personal war of wills, where pride, principle, and pressure collided in dramatic fashion.
The film features a strong supporting cast that includes Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Jamie Beamish (Derry Girls), Alex Murphy (The Young Offenders), Harriet Cains (Bridgerton), and Peter McDonald (The Batman).
The film is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville of Wild Atlantic Pictures (Evil Dead Rise, Cocaine Bear, Black 47), alongside Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler of Fine Point Films (Kneecap, No Stone Unturned). Patrick O’Neill and Rachael O’Kane serve as Executive Producers.
Saipan is made in association with Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, with Greg Martin and Ursula Devine acting as Executive Producers for Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen respectively. Additional funding comes from BFI Global Screen, Coimisiún na Meán, and RTÉ. Worldwide sales are being handled by Bankside Films.
Saipan is coming soon to UK and Irish cinemas. Until then, the newly released teaser trailer offers an intriguing glimpse into the vitriolic fallout between two titans of Irish football — a feud that ignited headlines and divided a nation.
