“This is going to be fascinating,” Mr Odegbami told Nigerian Watch. “The history of Nigeria as seen through the people’s game.”
And when Mr Odegbami tells you it is going to be fascinating you are inclined to believe him as since hanging up his boots on a glittering football career he has forged a career as a world renowned journalist, with a reputation for great storytelling in his incisive columns.
“I’m so excited about this project – a film about what is my passion.” And he adds, “It will feature aspects of my life, and stories from the likes of Jay Jay Okocha and Kanu. Football in Nigeria has always mirrored what is going on in society.”
And he’s off, talking about the eras of Nigerian football post-independence and post-civil war, through the Abacha regime and on to the present day. “The scope of the film will be breathtaking,” he says. “It will take in the culture, politics, geography of Nigeria, all the things that made the individuals who triumphed over adversity to become legends in the Super Eagles.”
While he will make a cameo appearance in the film this is no biopic. It all came about because actor and film producer Michael De’sioye was privileged to hear these intimate stories and Mr Odegbami says “weaved them together and has taken them to another level.”
Mr De’soiye previously made a heart-rending film called Nadine, which explored the issues of self-harming among young people. “I am fascinated by people who overcome the most incredible challenges to succeed and then are able to and do give back,” he said.
Super Eagle will tell the fictional story of an 8 year old boy orphaned in an explosion in Nigeria and his journey from there, through the dark underbelly of professional football in the Premier League. Most of the film will be shot in the UK at one of London’s Premiership clubs.
Glenn Hoddle, Jay Jay Okocha and John Barnes will appear and negotiations are at a sensitive stage with an Oscar winning Hollywood star to take on the lead role. Joining Mr Odegbami as joint executive producer is the former President of the Lagos Country Club Barrister Wale Osomo.
When he read the outline for Super Eagle he was hooked. “The story just spoke to me, the despair, hope, hard work, perseverance, good luck, fate, and above all, the sense of pride of being a Nigerian and claiming a stake in the rebirth of Nigeria, standing up to be counted in the ‘Nigerian Renaissance’, especially by those who have sojourned into foreign lands and who must have more than a say in how to raise Nigeria from the brink of disaster.”
It helped that it was about football as Mr Osomo is passionate fan of the beautiful game.“My idol is Jay Jay Okocha – who I might add is a zillion times better than David Beckham – and of course I’m aware of the monster hit movie “Bend it like Beckham”, which further drove my interest in investing in a similar movie but on Nigerian football.”
With the dream team of Odegbami, De’sioye and Osomo behind it this is one Super Eagle that is set to soar.
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