4 Jul 2013

Movie planned on Donald's winning kick

10:36 pm on 4 July 2013

All Black Stephen Donald's kick that won the 2011 Rugby World Cup is to be the subject of a new telemovie with New Zealand on Air allocating $3 million for the project.

Great Southern Film and Television managing director Philip Smith says The Kick follows Donald's career from being mocked after a poor performance in a test match in Hong Kong to being a national hero after kicking the winning goal against France at Auckland's Eden Park.

Donald was the fourth choice to make the kick after Dan Carter didn't start, and Aaron Crewden and Piri Weepu were injured. The All Blacks won 8-7.

Mr Smith said he wants to show what it's like to be a top sportsperson who is derided and turned on by the public, but who then redeems himself.

"It's more about how he perceives the nation when this sort of brutal force of people decide that he's a loser. So we're looking at it from a completely different point of view - it's him looking back. And we might learn something about ourselves."

Mr Smith says the All Blacks have shared a lot of new and funny stories from the World Cup campaign which will also feature in the film.

Tom Scott has been hired to write the script, with the movie being shot later this year.