Barry Keoghan wants to play Shane MacGowan in biopic about Pogues’ legend

The singer's wife Victoria Mary Clarke spoke about the long in the works biopic this week.

His Irish crime thriller Bring Them Down this week was handed an Irish release date for 7 February 2025, while he will also appear in the upcoming films Amo Saddam, Crime 101 and Hurry Up Tomorrow.

That's along with his much-anticipated role in the Peaky Blinders movie and his perhaps equally exciting return to the Robert Pattinson-fronted Batman franchise.

But the Oscar-nominee may have another massive project in his future: playing Shane MacGowan in a biopic about the late Pogues frontman's life.

This is according to the singer's widow Victoria Mary Clarke, who appeared on the Sunday World's Under the Grill podcast where she was asked about the long in the works biopic about McGowan.

In response, she told the show:

"We had worked on a movie long before he died and that's still in the works.

"We did talk to Barry Keoghan about playing Shane and he's keen to play Shane."

As for who would play Mary Clarke in the film, she joked:

"I think it'd be really weird. Personally, I'm very vain so I would probably be very critical and be thinking: 'Oh, they don't look quite as good as I would want them to look'."

MacGowan passed away last year on 30 November, 2023.

With his one year anniversary approaching, his widow did note that audiences may be waiting awhile for the biopic on the singer.

On the topic, Mary Clarke added: "I suppose, it's a little bit soon for us to be thinking about that stuff."

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