Steve Coogan to star as Mick McCarthy in new movie, ‘Saipan’, detailing feud with Roy Keane
Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan is set to star as football manager Mick McCarthy in new movie, Saipan, documenting Ireland’s disastrous efforts at the World Cup in 2002.
McCarthy has endured two spells as the manager of the Irish national team. His first reign began in 1996, leading the country to the World Cup six years later, but before a ball was kicked, it had already become a nightmare situation. On the eve of the tournament, McCarthy sent home the team’s star player and captain, Roy Keane, following a public argument that made Keane’s position untenable.
The new film is titled Saipan due to the Northern Mariana Islands territory being where the Irish team were situated when Keane and McCarthy’s relationship collapsed. At the time, Keane was the most notable Irish player and also captained Manchester United, but felt the team’s set-up was unprofessional, which angered McCarthy.
After Keane’s comments in the press made its way back to McCarthy, the captain doubled-down, and told the manager to his face, “I didn’t rate you as a player, I don’t rate you as a manager, and I don’t rate you as a person.”
Keane was then sent home, which left the Irish team in disarray ahead of the World Cup. Despite the incident occurring over two decades ago, the bad blood remains between Keane and McCarthy as the Saipan saga continues to linger like a dark cloud over Irish football.
Despite everything both men went on to achieve in football after Saipan, the sorry episode still follows them around, and they both regularly field questions on the subject.
While from the outside looking in, it may have seemed like a one-off argument that escalated out of control, the friction had existed since they were teammates during the early 1990s, which will likely be explored in the new movie.
Coogan will be joined in Saipan by Éanna Hardwicke, who will play Keane, according to Variety. The upcoming movie is set to enter production this summer with Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa helming directorial duties while an original script has been penned by Dead Man’s Shoes screenwriter Paul Fraser.
Similarly to McCarthy, Coogan was born in the north of England, but has Irish heritage. The actor is immensely proud of his Irish roots, revealing to the Irish Times in 2022: “My family stems from the Irish diaspora in Manchester on both sides. My grandfather had a dance hall that became a focal point of the Irish community. Because back in those days, there was a lot of poverty around, certainly among the Irish who were ostracised by the British.”
At this stage, there has been no tentative release date for Saipan, and more details will emerge regarding the supporting cast in due course.
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