Daisy Ridley is going from Star Wars to soccer stardom in her latest gig.
The actress has signed on to narrate We Were There, an eight-part doc series about the controversial 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar from the country’s Supreme Committee, UK indie Noah Media Group and Host Broadcast Services (HBS).
The doc, which runs to eight half-hours, claims it will go “beyond the headlines” and explore “the remarkable human stories from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.” Luke Mellows (Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes, Dan Carter: A Perfect 10) is the director, Noah’s Tarun Thind is the producer and the executive producer is Richard Makinson. Noah’s Head of International Sales, Catherine Quantschnigg, is handling the global sales.
According to the producers, it will follow ‘key protagonists from a remarkable tournament, both on and off the field,” with each episode a “mini documentary with a multi-layered narrative which establishes the backstory of the lead characters and discovers their unique journey to Qatar, witnessing key matches through their eyes, and revealing how being at the FIFA World Cup changed their lives.” It will include footage from FIFA’s unseen tournament archive and user-generated content filmed during the sport, which took place in November 2022.
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Going into the tournament, Qatar was met with sustained criticism over its human rights record and anti-homosexuality laws. In the event, passion for the sport took over and billions tuned in around the world to watch the games. Lionel Messi’s Argentina ultimately prevailed, defeating France on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Several Argentinians, including coach Lionel Scaloni, goalkeeper and Golden Glove winner Emi Martinez, striker Julian Alvarez and Gonzalo Montiel, who took the winning penalty in the final, will contribute, along with other major coaches and players.
“We Were There brings together an incredible array of footballing superstars and passionate fans from around the world with the amazing archive from the biggest sporting event in the world,” said Noah’s Quantschnigg. “We are looking forward to making this series available to global buyers.”