One of football's "unlikeliest stories is to be made into a film to mark its 30th anniversary," according to the BBC. In '87, Merthyr Tydfil's semi-professional players, who were "paid in pints," beat Serie A side Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup. After hearing about the "remarkable" story from her dad, film director Joann Randles "approached the club about producing it." It has a working title of "Martyrs 87" and shooting will start in the summer. Randles aims to create "a Full Monty-type" low budget, "feel-good film," following the lives of four central characters in the run-up to the game. After researching the story, she found it "completely unique" and one that "may not be ever repeated by a semi-professional team again" (BBC, 2/27).
THINKING IT OVER: Indian women's tennis player Sania Mirza revealed that she is in discussions over a Bollywood movie based on her life following the publication of her autobiography, Aces Against Odds, last year. Mirza said, "There are some talks going on, but there's nothing concrete right now. I'm a private person, so it is a difficult ask of me to open up completely." Mirza, whose husband is Pakistan int'l cricketer Shoaib Malik, also spoke about the impact Bollywood can have in giving other sports exposure in a country obsessed with her husband's game. She said, "We need to remember that we have champions outside of cricket, as well" (WTA Tennis).