Netflix’s much-anticipated documentary series on sports superstar David Beckham is about to score a goal now that Oscar winners Fisher Stevens and John Battsek have joined the team, together with cinematographer Tim Cragg and editors Chris King and Bjorn Johnson.
Stevens, noted for his producer role with The Cove, will be at the helm, and will be coproducing the series with Battsek, of Searching for Sugarman fame. The football star’s Spice Girl wife Victoria will also appear in the $20 million project, which will be shot by Beckham’s production studio Studio 99 in association with Battsek’s Ventureland.
Announcing the venture on an Instagram posting, Beckham wrote “I’m excited to confirm that I am partnering with @Netflix on a documentary series about my life and career.”
The series, already in production, will examine Beckham’s rise to stardom from his working-class roots in the East End of London. It also promises “never-before-seen personal archive footage from the last forty years” as well as bespoke interviews with Beckham’s family, friends, and key figures in his life. That fact alone is bound to keep fans salivating, given that the athlete counts numerous celebrities and royals in his entourage, including Prince William and Prince Harry, whose weddings the Beckhams attended. Their own son, Brooklyn Beckham, recently married film star Nicola Peltz, the daughter of kajillioniare Nelson Peltz.
Beckham, whose 20-year career span included stints with Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Milan, is recognized as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
He was captain of the England team for six years in the late 1990s. In 2013, he was recognized as the world’s highest-paid athlete, having earned some million that year.
David and Victoria, who recently celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary, are the parents of four children: Brooklyn, 23; Romeo, 21; Cruz, 17; and Harper, 11. No launch date for the series has yet been announced.