Wildcard Distribution has acquired the UK and Irish rights to Ross Whitaker’s documentary on Irish boxing champion Katie Taylor, titled Katie Taylor: The Comeback.
Saviours and When Ali Came To Ireland director Whitaker returns to the boxing world for this new documentary charting the rise of Olympic gold-medalist Katie Taylor as she furthers her career into professional boxing.
Bray native Taylor is widely regarded as one of the greatest Irish sportspersons and was instrumental in getting Woman’s Boxing added to the Olympics in 2012. During her amateur career Taylor claimed 19 major medals, including an Olympic gold in London in 2012.
After less than a year as a professional Katie Taylor added two World titles to the 5 she had already won in the amateur ranks by defeating Anahi Sanchez for the WBA belt before an estimated 50,000 fans at Principality Stadium in Cardiff last October, before uniting that belt with the IBF one by defeating Victoria Noelia Bustos in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday.
The documentary is produced by Ross Whitaker and Aideen O’Sullivan (When Ali Came To Ireland) for True Films and Venom with Andrew Freedman (His & Hers, Mom and Me) as Executive Producer with funding from the Irish Film Board / Bord Scannáin na hÉireann, RTÉ, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and Wildcard Distribution.
Wildcard will release Katie Taylor: The Comeback in Irish and UK cinemas this summer.
As Wildcard celebrates its 5th birthday, everyone at the company isincredibly excited at the prospect of working with the filmmakers and Katie Taylor on the release of Katie Taylor: The Comeback this summer. Ross is creating a very special film, and one that will resonate greatly with audiences at home and worldwide. Katie is a trailblazer in her field, an inspirational sporting figure, and we’re looking forward for everyone to find out more about the this amazing sportsperson.
Patrick O’Neill, Managing Director – Wildcard Distribution
It’s been a privilege to follow so closely the remarkable and fascinating quest that Katie has taken on and it’s priceless to be able to bring the audience so close to Katie. Katie might be shy and private, but she has that presence that draws the camera and the audience to her. We’re delighted to be working with Wildcard Distribution who have an impressive record of finding audiences with documentaries, notably with their ground-breaking success on Bobby Sands recently. They have the agility and innovative approach to help us to bring this film to the wide audience that it deserves.
Ross Whitaker, Director/Producer