‘Isle of Man’ Movie Set to Bring the TT to the Big Screen
The details are scarce, but British reports say that two major Hollywood stars will act in a movie about the Isle of Man TT: Matt Damon and Liam Neeson.
Written and directed by Ben Younger—a passionate club motorcycle racer—the the simply-titled “Isle of Man” is set to begin filming this June on and around the 37.73 Mountain Course at the Isle of Man.
Younger is working with Bold Films to create Isle of Man, which will tell the story of an aging motorcycle racer.
This racer is coming out of retirement, but just like others passionate about international road racing, he is attracted to the TT, where 246 riders have perished to date in both TT and Manx Grand Prix races since competition begin there in 1911.
The racer, alleged to be played by Matt Damon, will use two-time Isle of Man TT winner Cameron Donald as a stunt double. The Australian, who last competed at the TT, will pilot a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade during the film.
Neeson was also alleged to act in the film. It makes sense, considering he is a huge motorcycle racing fan. He has narrated “Road,” which tells the story of the Dunlop family and its main hero, the late Joey Dunlop, who holds the record of Isle of Man TT wins with 26.
This will be Younger’s fourth film; his first, Boiler Room (2000), exposes underground brokerage firms and features stars like Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel.
This was followed by the romantic comedy Prime (2005), and Bleed for This (2016), a film produced by Martin Scorsese that is based on boxer Vinny Pazienza (in theaters now).
We’re looking forward to another box-office film based on motorcycle racing, especially one that will further highlight one of the most competitive road races to date.