Maradona film gets green light
2005-08-09 15:55
Rome - Italian director Marco Risi, the son of acclaimed director Dino Risi, says he has reached an agreement with Diego Maradona to direct a film on the player's life.
The film will be called La Mano di Dio, named after Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, when he punched the ball in for a goal against England in the quarterfinals.
The younger Risi says he is looking for an Argentine to play Maradona.
"It doesn't have the classic style, it's a series of incursions in the various phases of his life, with extracts of his most glorious soccer moments," Risi said in an interview published Tuesday in La Repubblica.
Genius
"I think of him as a genius. Soccer exists before and after Maradona. It's like Van Gogh in painting or Charlie Parker in music."
Risi, who plans to start filming in October, added that the film would also include parts on Maradona's demise and his battle with drugs.
As well as winning the 1986 World Cup, Maradona led Napoli to the Italian league title in 1987 and 1990, the only two championships in the club's history. He also played for Barcelona and Boca Juniors.
Another film on Maradona's life is being directed by two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Emir Kusturica.
- SAPA