Roy Keane vs Mick McCarthy - watch first trailer for Saipan starring Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke

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The first teaser trailer for the upcoming film Saipan has just been released

FILM and football fans have just got their first glimpse of Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke as Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane in Saipan, the upcoming movie centred on the Ireland pair's infamous bust-up during the 2002 World Cup.

Billed as "the definitive account of one of the most fractious fallings-out in the history of sport", the first teaser trailer for the film from Good Vibrations directors Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn was released today.

The seventy-six seconds-long clip offers glimpses of the dispute between Ireland manager McCarthy (Coogan) and Ireland captain Keane (Hardwicke) which erupted during pre-finals training in Saipan and invites audiences to "choose your side".

The official synopsis for the Paul Fraser-written film reads:

"Saipan is the thrilling story of football player Roy Keane and his manager Mick McCarthy, and the events leading up to Ireland's incendiary 2002 World Cup campaign.

"The intense rivalry between these two personalities transcended the game, gripping an entire nation and the sporting world.

"On the surface, the feud was all about standards, but deep down it was a hugely emotive story of two men whose rivalry and contempt came to surpass the sport they loved.

"This is the definitive account of one of the most fractious fallings-out in the history of sport."

Speaking to the Irish News about the film last year, producer Trevor Birney explained how he made contact with the film's real life subjects to discuss the project.

"Part of my job as a producer was to contact Roy and Mick, and I got two very different reactions for both of them," he said.

"Mick was on a golf course in Portugal [when I called him]. I said, 'Listen, you don't know me from Adam, and I'm sorry to disturb you, but Steve Coogan wants to talk to you'.

"And he was going, 'Steve Coogan wants to talk to me?'. I'm like, 'Yeah, he does. We're starting this film in a couple of weeks' time and he wants to speak to you'.

"Then he said, 'So, if Steve Coogan's playing me - who's playing the boy from Cork?'.

"When he realised that Steve Coogan was playing him, I'd say Mick was excited. And they had a wonderful conversation, Mick gave Steve a lot of time."

As for Keano...

"I've been trying to get Roy to do a documentary for a couple of years, without any luck. I'd met him in Cork, and we had a great fun day. We kept the conversation going, and we were texting each other, and I thought he might do the documentary - but then he didn't.

"Then [Saipan] came along. He was actually at the Euros, and I had to text him: 'Just to let you know, we're making this film'.

"I don't want to give away the confidentiality of his text, but Roy kind of went, 'Oh, yeah? Nothing to do with me. All the best'.

"It was pure Roy Keane."

Other actors in the film include Alice Lowe (Sightseers), Jamie Beamish (Derry Girls), Alex Murphy (The Young Offenders), Harriet Cains (Bridgerton) and Peter McDonald (The Batman).

Saipan is produced by Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures along with Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler for Fine Point Films, with Patrick O'Neill and Rachael O'Kane serving as executive producers.

No official release date has been confirmed for the film, which is simply billed as "coming soon" in the teaser.