The lifetime of Justin Fashanu, the primary footballer to return out as homosexual, and his brother John Fashanu, is to be changed into an ITV drama from BAFTA-nominated author Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Justin Fashanu was a particularly gifted footballer who turned the primary black British footballer to be bought for £1M ($1.2M) on the age of simply 20, turning into some of the celebrated folks in British sport. In 1990, he got here out as homosexual and by 1998, together with his soccer profession in tatters and ostracized by his household, he dedicated suicide.
The drama will weave collectively the lives of Justin Fashanu and his brother John Fashanu, who additionally performed soccer and was estranged from his brother on the time of his demise.
ITV mentioned the drama is being put along with the help of Fashanu’s brother and different contributors embrace LGBTQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell. Dominic Treadwell Collins’ ITV Studios label Joyful Prince is producing, Kwei-Armah (Elmina’s Kitchen) is writing and ITV Studios is distributing.
Kwei-Armah mentioned: “I grew up watching the Fashanu brothers. I used to be fascinated by them. Impressed by them. As an grownup, my coronary heart breaks for them. ‘The previous is a international land’, the saying goes, ‘they do issues otherwise there’. In Fash, I wished to dive into that previous, notably one which has so many resonances with right now.”
ITV Drama head Polly Hill mentioned the scribe’s “scripts are sensible and and inform a narrative that’s heart-breaking and sadly nonetheless related right now.”
ITV can also be quickly to premier biopics about Crossroads star Noele Gordon, starring Helena Bonham Carter, and Cary Grant, starring Jason Isaacs.
