Gareth Barry transfer saga to be made into Hollywood blockbuster

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS has given the green light to When Barry Met Stevie, a romantic comedy based on the Gareth Barry transfer saga.

The film will chart the relationship of England midfielders Gareth Barry (played by Christian Bale) and Stevie Gerrard (Gwyneth Paltrow) who bond over a mutual love of taking penalties, cross-field passes, and French New Wave cinema while on international duty in sunny Tobago.

Realising they are madly in love after a crisp exchange of passes in a friendly against the USA, their relationship is scuppered by a series of sad but hilarious events which suggest fate is against them. The pair then find themselves locked in a race against the impending closure of the transfer window to save their love and realise their dreams.

Al Pacino is attached to play the villain of the piece, Martin O' Neill, while Ben Affleck is in discussions to take up the role of Xabi, Stevie's bitter ex.

Studio executives believe that the thrilling transfer saga, one of the longest running in the history of the Premier League, has all the right ingredients to break box office records. "Never before has a love story been told against the backdrop of the closing of the transfer window," said Universal's head of marketing Tommy Sparks.

"It's a challenging, brave script which attempts to tell a very complex story within the length of one film. While we considered extending the project to a trilogy, we think we've done justice to the weight of Stevie and Gareth's love. Essentially, it's a modern day Romeo and Juliet – with agents".

Budgetary problems have delayed the project's progress, as director Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, The Premiership Years 99/00) has demanded an unnamed Irish right back (believed to be Gary Kelly) to be included as part of her fee.

Kelly will appear in a cameo role, haunting Barry as the ghost of mediocre Premiership players past. Shooting is scheduled to begin next week in Birmingham.