THE life story of two-time 500cc world champion Barry Sheene is being turned into a feature-length biopic called ‘Sheene’, which will be released in cinemas and is set to begin filming by the end of the year.
The project is a joint venture between IO Film in Australia and Deep Spring Pictures in the UK and will be based on the book Barry: The Story of a Motorcycling Legend, written by Steve Parrish and Nick Harris.
The film will document Sheene’s rise to fame, his playboy lifestyle, success on track, and his two most notorious crashes – at the Daytona 200 in 1975 and then Silverstone in 1982.
The screenplay has been written by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement, who together wrote Porridge, Auf Wiedershen Pet ad the Likely Lads.
La Frenais and Clement are said to be amazed that Sheene’s ‘phenomenal’ story hasn’t already been turned into a film. Speaking to the Evening Standard, La Frenais said: ‘It’s surprising it’s not been done. It’s about sport, but it’s also about living your life to the absolute limit.
‘He’s a fascinating personality to portray. Barry couldn’t have been anything else but a Londoner. He was a chancer, a flirt but also an incredibly good bloke. He was a rock star.’
Casting will take place within the next few months.
Although this will be the first time Sheene's story will be dramatised on the big screen, it's not the first time his exploits have made it onto our screens - just check out When Playboys Ruled the World, the documentary about him and his friend, F1 star James Hunt.
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