The extraordinary story of how two Irish boys stowed away on a US flight in a bid to meet A-Team star Mr T is set to be turned into a movie.
The youngsters made headlines worldwide when they managed to travel to London and then board a plane to New York to see the TV tough guy.
Irish production company Mixed Bag Media, which owns the rights to the story, has partnered with Hollywood’s Kennedy Marshall Company which made War Horse and Sea Biscuit.
The title – Don’t Go Far – refers to one of their mother’s unsuspecting words
as they left the house.
The young lads were huge fans of the A-Team character BA Baracus, played by actor and wrestler Mr T.
The drama, which has not yet nailed down a cast or director, will recount the tale of how the two boys sneaked all the way from their Dublin homes to America to try to meet their idol at the height of his fame in the mid-1980s.
Friends Keith Byrne, 10, and 13-year-old Noel Murray got a train to Dun Laoghaire and travelled via Holyhead to London in 1985. They then managed to evade security and board an Air India flight to New York.
They were eventually arrested near JFK Airport, prompting an investigation that spanned several continents. The screenplay was written by Conor Ryan and the movie project is also receiving development support from Screen Ireland.
US producer Frank Marshall revealed: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working to develop Don’t Go Far into a feature film.
“Not only is the story of Keith and Noel’s stowaway adventure almost
too incredible to believe, it’s also just the kind of uplifting and inspiring tale I
think we could all use a bit more of right now.”
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