Cristiano Ronaldo's first TV drama is now filming (and Damian Lewis plays the agent)
Day 1s is scripted fiction set in English football, made by UR Marv, the company Ronaldo set up with director Matthew Vaughn. No broadcaster or release date has been announced.
A week after walking away from the Portugal team, Cristiano Ronaldo has found something else to do. On Wednesday he announced that cameras are rolling on Day 1s, his first television series, as the Portuguese sports daily A Bola reported, with a short promise of more news soon.
He posted three photos. One shows him with director Matthew Vaughn. Another has actor Damian Lewis alongside the British rapper Dave. The third is a Brentford dressing room.
What is Day 1s about?
It is a drama, not a documentary. The series follows Stanley Dalton, a powerful British football agent working the transfer market, played by Damian Lewis (Brody in Homeland, Bobby Axelrod in Billions). The original idea came from Darren Dein, a real-life agent whose clients include Thierry Henry.
The producer is UR Marv, the company Ronaldo formed with Vaughn, the director behind Kingsman and Kick-Ass. Day 1s is its first TV project, and British trade reports say it is independently financed, with no studio or streamer attached.
Will Ronaldo appear in Day 1s?
Not officially, not yet. Since the project surfaced in late July, reports have had Ronaldo as an executive producer who may also turn up on screen next to Henry. The production has confirmed neither. Dave is expected in the first episode, again unconfirmed.
When and where can you watch it?
There is no broadcaster and no release date. Filming is under way in London, and the producers have not said which channel or platform will carry it.
The timing is hard to ignore. Ronaldo quit international football on 5 November after 234 caps and 146 goals, following a falling-out with coach Jorge Jesus. Now he is back in English football, where Manchester United made him a star. This time he is on the side that tells the stories.
By Lucy Bennett
Image: AtilaTheHun from Manchester / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)