Anyone who watches football will know there aren’t many quite as invested in Arsenal as Ian Wright. In the last week, he’s experienced the joy of his beloved club reaching the Champions League Final as well as taking one more step towards winning the Premier League title in dramatic fashion.
And now that he and every other Arsenal fan has had time to catch their breath, news has come that the footballing legend will be the subject of a biopic, with Stormzy working as an executive producer. What a week for Wrighty!
Stormzy’s production company, #Merky Films, will co-produce the film, which is being written and directed by Tom Wilton, who lived in the same council estate as Ian Wright in Brockley while growing up.
The film will examine Wright’s childhood and his journey to earning his first professional footballing contract. He was born in Woolwich to Jamaican parents who came to live in the UK as part of the Windrush generation.
The film will examine his early life, how he came to be a footballer, and the importance of those around him, including his schoolteacher, Sydney Pigden, whom the striker famously reconnected with in a touching surprise reunion as an adult while filming a show, having previously believed his old teacher to have passed away.
Ian Wright is both a Crystal Palace and Arsenal legend, having joined the former club at 22 and consistently netting over 20 times a season, with highlights including two goals in the 1990 FA Cup Final.
For Arsenal, where Wright played between 1991 and 1998, he scored 185 goals in 288 games, and held the club’s record as all-time top scorer until fellow legend Thierry Henry surpassed this total in 2005. He made his debut for England in 1991, earning 33 caps and scoring nine goals.
Speaking on the film, Ian Wright said: “Retelling my story to Tom [Wilton] has also made me realise how much Britain has changed from my parents arriving here on the Windrush, what that meant for me and my brothers, and the experiences that will never leave me.
“Telling my story in full for the first time feels surreal and, in some ways, a long time coming,” he continues. “I hope it shows how complicated life can be for a young person and the influence people around you can have – good and bad. My story is one that truly shows how the company you keep can break you down and build you up. There are hard-hitting moments but in the end I want it to give people hope and joy.”
#Merky Films, which is a wider arm of Stormzy’s #Merky brand, will co-produce the movie, with Stormzy himself and Akua Agyemfra as executive producers, as well as Sara McFarlane and Stephen Tottingham also included in the production team.
Stormzy also commented on news of the film, saying: “It’s a real honour for #Merky Films to be co-producing Ian Wright’s story. Wrighty’s journey goes far beyond football – it’s about resilience, family and believing in yourself against the odds. He’s inspired generations on and off the pitch and we’re so proud to help bring such an important and powerful story to the screen.”