Exclusive:Man behind James Coppinger Doncaster Rovers film on five-year wait, 'boyhood dream' + Louis Tomlinson

Five years ago, when James Coppinger hung up his boots, it should have been an occasion for all Doncaster Rovers fans to savour.

After all, here was a man who had dedicated 17 years of his life to the club, posting just shy of 700 appearances. It's no understatement to say he is a bona fide living legend in this particular corner of South Yorkshire.

But instead of a packed-out stadium, his last dance in May 2021 was played out in front of an empty stadium thanks to the cruelly-timed shut-out of supporters owing to the pandemic.

At the time of his retirement it was announced by Rovers that a special documentary had been commissioned to commemorate Coppinger's career but as the years went by with no further concrete news, the fanbase collectively thought it would never see the light of day.

For Lewis Reeves, the man whose original idea it was, the release of said documentary this month is the culmination of half-a-decade of toil and a real labour of love for the Doncaster-born actor and film-maker, himself a Rovers fan.

"It has taken a long time, certainly a lot more than we first expected! But I'm really proud of the final product," Lewis tells the Free Press ahead of the premiere of 'The James Coppinger Story: The Average Footballer' at CAST Theatre in Doncaster on June 18.

"It finally feels like the proper send-off that we should have given Copps. He had to say goodbye to that empty stadium and for me personally it feels like this is a little bit of closure, I guess. For someone who's arguably one of our best ever players, it feels like this is a really great way to celebrate his career and give him recognition."

Lewis says that while Rovers fans are the obvious target market for the documentary, Coppinger's story is one that will resonate with most football fans in general and therefore widens its appeal.

"It's about kicking back when all odds are against you," he says. "Copps was a player that went from grassroots, he didn't go to an academy but then went to Newcastle and was given his first start by Sir Bobby Robson.

"All of a sudden, he's partnering Alan Shearer in the Premier League, then he drops out of the Football League entirely, all within the space of four years. And then he rebuilt himself at Doncaster. I just thought, that is such an interesting story and I think it could communicate with, not just the Doncaster Rovers fans, but other fans too. I think there's lots of elements to this film that will bring in football fans in general."

The documentary will take in interviews with those closely tied to Coppinger at various junctures in his career as well as ample Rovers fans. Lewis adds: "It's not like there's massive celebrity interviews, but there are actually really good, earthy people who made James' story what it was. In that sense, I suppose it's a bit more of a fly-on-the-wall theme and quite Louis Theroux style.

"You're with me whilst I'm meeting my idol and we're making a film without telling his story!"

The lengthy time from having the initial idea to seeing the final product has not been without its stresses. At one point Lewis thought the plug may well have been pulled but the intervention of arguably the most high-profile Rovers fan, musician Louis Tomlinson, ensured it got the financial boost it needed to get completed: "We ended up bringing in Louis Tomlinson and that gave the film a second wind when it really looked like we were in a bit of trouble.

"Louis is the executive producer and he helped finance the rest of the film when we didn't have the rest of the budget.

"So he came to save the day really. And he's a massive fan of the club, a massive fan of Copps. He's not been massively involved in the creative process, but always been there to support so he's been an integral part in that sense."

Reeves' body of work, like many actors, is a varied one ranging from starring roles in successful TV shows such as I May Destroy You to a stint in the West End production of My Night with Reg. But it's another role, voicing a character in the wildly successful FIFA video game franchise a few years back that naturally catches our attention. Reeves voiced villain Gareth Walker in the game's 'The Journey' in the FIFA 17, 18 and 19 editions.

Safe to say that was a big personal highlight of his career so far: "I grew up with two younger brothers, so we spent our whole lives either playing football outside or playing each other at FIFA, trying to beat one another.

"And the day that I got that gig I went out to EA Sports in Vancouver and played a really cool character and got quite a bit of exposure from it. It basically meant that any time that I lost on FIFA, I'd just say ‘well, look, I don't want to bring my work home!’ I think one time I was quoted as saying "I am FIFA" to my brothers so the ego might have come to me a little bit! But that was another one of those jobs that was just hilariously amazing."

Back to the Coppinger film and Reeves hopes that the film can stand the test of time among future Rovers fans.

"I'm just a fan like anyone else and this is a boyhood dream come true," he adds. "If someone had told eight-year-old me that one day you'd get to do a documentary with Doncaster Rovers, I'd have snapped their arm off.

"I feel really lucky in that sense and what I want is to leave this little bookmark so that maybe in 20 years' time people will pick up the documentary.

"Maybe one day our grandkids will be like 'what was James Coppinger like?' and you can say 'well here's a film on it' and hopefully they can be like 'oh that's a really cool story'."

* ‘The James Coppinger Story: The Average Footballer' premieres at CAST Doncaster on Thursday, June 18. Tickets are available from the Club Doncaster Box Office or online. There are plans to upload the documentary online at some point in the future, for those who cannot attend the premiere.