George Best film to mix acting with archive says Stephen Evans

A film to be made about football legend George Best will mix acting and archive, the man behind it has said.

Producer Stephen Evans made a similar film about the late golfer Seve Ballesteros last year.

He has also produced The Madness of King George for which he won a BAFTA, and Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh.

Mr Evans said that while an actor is being sought to play the young Best, it would be impossible to find anyone to play the Belfast star in his prime.

"George had similarities to Ballesteros," he said.

"And also it's the same game when people asked me about who was playing Ballesteros, well no-one can, it's impossible. Who is going to play George Best, well no-one can.

"The essential drama is about him growing up and that is totally cinematic - when he's growing up and also when he goes to sunny Manchester.

"And then what happens is we're using archive footage."

The search for the young Best actor is continuing, but Mr Evans said he was hopeful he would be found soon.

"We're down to our final run, so I think I'll have my George in the next two or three weeks," he said.

"He has to be naturally self-confident, because we're not finding an actor to teach them how to play football, we're finding a footballer who we want to act in front of the camera by being himself."

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have graced British and world football, Best, who was from east Belfast, died in November 2005 at the age of 59.

The producer said Best had something that no modern footballer has.

"What I'm doing on George is to give people an idea of where he came from, what trials and tribulations he had and indeed joys when he was young," he said.

"And so when they look at his life after that when he became at one point the greatest footballer in the world, how did he get there, what happened to him?"

Mr Evans said he hoped to start shooting the film in January.