©Courtesy of Lionsagte and Manchester United 

Lionsgate is reportedly partnering with the British soccer/football club Manchester United to develop a new television series dramatizing key moments in the team’s history. According to The Athletic, the proposed series would adopt the style of Netflix’s The Crown. That popular series, which ran for six seasons, chronicled the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

It’s being reported that Manchester United and Lionsgate will share future royalties and that the team has been guaranteed several million pounds at the outset. 

Although no specific details have yet been released, it’s likely that the following incidents would be dramatized in the Manchester United series: the 1968 Munich air disaster, the European Cup victory in 1988, the birth of the Busby Babes, and the story of Alex Ferguson and the Premier League. Other candidates for coverage, according to The Independent, could be the stories of individual players like George Best, Denis Law, and Bobby Charlton.

 

That story in The Independent went on to say: “While United have had extended periods without success, notably when suffering relegation from Division One in 1974, fans may expect to see the periods prior to the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson covered, as well as the success of the Scot’s 26-year reign, including the 1998/99 treble season until his retirement in 2013. Whether or not the subsequent years of managerial struggles and less success would be covered remains to be seen.” 

This is not the only sports-related deal in the works involving both British soccer and American baseball. Lionsgate already has created sports-related movies, including Warrior (2011) and Draft Day (2014). The studio is also reportedly working on a film about Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers gambling scandal. In addition, A24 is working with Jack Thorne on a series about Bill Shankly and the Liverpool PC, and Sony and Manchester City have reportedly made a deal with HBO.

Check out other articles by Edward.