Controversy surrounding upcoming film “Dallas Sting” has officially led to Skydance shelving the feature.
Inspired by the 1984 true story of a Dallas girls soccer team traveling to China to became world champions, “Dallas Sting” was set to star Matthew McConaughey as coach Bill Kinder and Emmy nominee Kaitlyn Dever as his daughter. Actual soccer players were cast as the team.
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Kari Skogland (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) was helming the feature from a script by “GLOW” creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch; “Dallas Sting” was produced by Skydance and Berlanti Schechter Productions.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported that “disturbing allegations surrounding aspects of the true story” has now led to the film being canceled six weeks ahead of production. “That investigation led Skydance and the producers to pull the plug,” per THR sources.
IndieWire has confirmed that the film is indeed scrapped.
Production was set to begin in October in New Orleans, with the rights to the story to an unpublished article by Bill Kinder having been purchased at auction by Skydance and Berlanti Schechter. “Dallas Sting” was poised to tell the supposedly real-life sports story against the background of President Ronald Reagan’s tenuous political ties with China. When China invited the U.S. to send its Women’s Soccer Team to the first world championship, a nationwide search for 19-and-under players led officials to a Dallas high school team, titled The Sting, named after the Robert Redford and Paul Newman-led film.
Per Deadline, Kinder spent $85,000 on his own credit cards for non-refundable tickets to ensure the whole team made the trip to China, where they were expected to lose. Under Coach Kinder, who had no prior experience coaching, the soccer team bested Australia, Japan, and China before playing Italy in the championship game.
There have been no additional details as to the “disturbing” circumstances that have since come to light over the accuracies of the true story.
Reporting by Christian Blauvelt.
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