Scott Free, The Saga Company and Live Nation Studios are making Halftime Hero, a feature film based on the true story of a West Ham supporter who was brought on from the crowd by manager Harry Redknapp during a professional match in 1994. The project turns an unusual football anecdote into a British feel-good drama, with producers comparing its intended tone to Billy Elliot and The Full Monty.

Anson Boon will play supporter Steve “Pringle” Davies, while Eddie Marsan plays Redknapp and Ellie Bamber plays Davies’s partner, Penny. Ole Sanders will write and direct in his feature debut, adapting Jeff Maysh’s Guardian article; filming is under way in London, with Boon also serving as an executive producer.