Gleeson, Meaney And Gillen To Star In Paddy Power Film
A feature film about the rise of Paddy Power is in development, with Brian Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Alex Murphy and Aidan Gillen attached to lead the cast.
Matt Lipsey, whose credits include Ted Lasso and Inside No. 9, is set to direct. The project was revealed on November 2, 2026 in an exclusive by Variety.
The film tells the story of how a small Dublin bookmaker grew into one of the best-known betting sites, and it comes from Irish production company Playhouse Studios. It is the first title to be unveiled from the company's original scripted slate.
The Cast And Creative Team
Gleeson is known for Under Salt Marsh and Logan Lucky, Meaney for Law Abiding Citizen and Layer Cake, Murphy for Saipan and The Young Offenders, and Gillen for Game of Thrones and Queer as Folk. Variety lists all four as set to lead the film, which is titled Paddy Power.
The script is being adapted from the book by writing duo Dale Longmore and John Quinn, who worked together on Bump, with Brian Durnin (Spilt Milk) also credited on the screenplay. Variety's report does not give a start of production or a release date.
The adaptation is based on Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever, the 2021 book by investigative journalist Aaron Rogan. The book follows the company's growth from a local Irish bookmaker into a global betting brand, and it is the reason the film has a ready-made narrative to build on.
Rogan said he was delighted that Playhouse saw the same value in the story that he has seen since he began reporting on the company a decade ago. He added that the growth of the US gambling industry in recent years makes the adaptation timely. Anyone curious about the operator as it stands today can read our Paddy Power betting site review.
How Playhouse Is Pitching It
The synopsis shared with Variety describes the story as a true tale of one man betting big on brash advertising and bringing online gambling, and the harms linked to it, to every corner of the globe. It presents the film as an inherently Irish origin story about a few chancers who changed the industry.
Playhouse chief executive Peggy Cafferty said the story stood out for its scale, dark humour and grit, and that Rogan's voice made the book an engaging read. She described the film as a fearless production about ambition, risk and consequence that should appeal well beyond Ireland.
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About Playhouse Studios
Playhouse Studios has also financed Lemonade, starring Barry Keoghan, which had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
The company recently opened a Playhouse Post base in Soho, London, and a Belfast office, as part of a plan to build an integrated production operation across the UK and Ireland covering development, financing, production and post-production.
For the betting industry, a mainstream feature about one of its best-known brands is a notable moment for how the sector is portrayed on screen. The film is a creative project from an independent studio, and no operator involvement has been reported in the coverage reviewed for this article.
