The sport of cricket has born numerous legends over the years – from Bradman to Ponting, Gilchrist to Lee – but one man who has transcended the sport itself to become a household name revered around the world is that of Shane Warne. The man who burst onto our screens with the kind of frosted tips you’d expect of a pop star stunned the world with a level of spin previously unseen in cricket. We watched, mesmerised, as the ball left his hands, only to pivot and twist with a ferocity you could only witness in disbelief, almost empathising with those batsmen who proved no match for such genius.
It’s been some time since Warne made his mark on the cricket field, although his legacy has continued to live on. And now, it seems we’re set to get a dose of Warne in the form of a new documentary that’s currently in production. Surrounding both his professional cricketing career and his saucy personal life that includes dating the likes of Elizabeth Hurley, Australians can rejoice that the King of Spin will provide an insight into his life that we’ve yet to ever see.
Breaking the news via Fox Cricket, Warne confirmed: “We’re going to do sit-down interviews about everything. Nothing’s off limits. We’re going to go in-depth about it all.”
“They want to experience what I’m like as a father at home, poker in Vegas, commentary here in Australia and in England, they want to go to India during the IPL and watch me team mentor…and generally just follow me around,” said Warne.
Along with archive footage, the documentary is said to include additional behind-the-scenes insights, investigative journalism, and modern film editing to provide an entertaining package that will surely rival that of The Last Dance. And given that the global pandemic has seen us starved of sporting competition for a number of months (although thankfully the Olympics now is looking to make up for it), the appetitive for such a documentary can’t be denied.
Though confirmed in 2020, details surrounding the project continue to be sparse but knowing Warne, he’ll want to ensure only the best for this thrilling project. There’s yet to be an announcement on when we can expect a release date, but it’s rumoured that Amazon Prime Video is involved with the film. As Warne revealed, “I’m a bit apprehensive about it…I hope I can help people understand a bit more about me as a person, not the person they always saw on the cricket field.”
