Summary
- Next Goal Wins is a comedy re-telling of the inspiring true story of the American Samoa soccer team's rise from worst to contender for the FIFA World Cup.
- The movie stars Michael Fassbender as coach Thomas Rongen, who leads the team to success against all odds.
- Directed by Taika Waititi, known for his comedic films with heart, Next Goal Wins blends humor and drama to create an anticipated sports movie with a unique and lighthearted approach.
Next Goal Wins, the sports comedy from Taika Waititi, is one of the year's most quietly anticipated releases, and all the news so far shows it could be a strong entry into both Waititi and cast lead Michael Fassbender's filmography. This isn't the first time the true story of the American Samoa soccer club that inspired Next Goal Wins has been adapted into a movie. It was previously covered as a documentary released in 2014 about the club's rise from the worst team in the world to a contender for the FIFA World Cup. The documentary was a captivating sports documentary, but Taika Waititi's take is a comedically- tinted retelling that promises to be just as humorous as it is inspiring.
The 2023 Next Goal Wins movie stars Michael Fassbender as an American coach hired to take over management of the American Samoa soccer club. Once in the role, he somehow manages to lead the team to success against all the odds. The movie, unlike the Next Goal Wins documentary from a decade ago, is a comedy re-telling of the story that takes a lighthearted approach to telling the story of Fassbender's coach, Thomas Rongen, and also at the team in general. With the movie debuting at TIFF, here is a look at the Next Goal Wins cast, story, release date, and official trailer for the new Taika Waititi movie.
Next Goal Wins Recent News
The most recent Next Goal Wins news concerns the movie's debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (also known as TIFF). Next Goal Wins is one of the most anticipated movies deputing at TIFF this year thanks to director Taika Waititi. The director has been at TIFF before with movies in the past, including Jojo Rabbit in 2019. However, Next Goal Wins might be his biggest yet. It is based on a true story that already had a documentary surrounding it with one of the worst soccer clubs in history turning things around. Football Federation of American Samoa CEO Tavita Taumua said he is excited about the movie's release to introduce his club to the larger world (via 1 News).
“Those who have seen the documentary itself had some comments. People who haven’t watched the documentary, they like it. When you watch the documentary, there are some sad episodes, some emotional parts, so when they look at the movie, and it's a comedy, they try and put it that they’re not happy. People from our federation who’ve watched it, they’ve spread out the news and most of the people right now are looking forward to November."
Next Goal Wins Release Date
Next Goal Wins premieres first at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023. However, the movie will hit theaters for fans to see this holiday season. The Next Goal Wins release date is on November 17, 2023. The original Next Goal Wins release date was April 21, but it was moved to September and then to November after it was accepted at TIFF.
Next Goal Wins Cast
The Next Goal Wins cast is led by Michael Fassbender as Thomas Rongen, a man hired to coach American Samoa and take them from being one of the worst club in soccer to the brink of a championship in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Michael Fassbender is a two-time Oscar nominee (12 Years a Slave, Steve Jobs), and is of course known for a variety of roles including Magneto in Fox's X-Men universe. There are also several other big names in the cast, including Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) as Gail, Will Arnett (Arrested Development) as Alex Magnussen, and Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death) as Rhys Martin.
The rest of the cast of Next Goal Wins includes:
- Uli Latukefu as Nicky Salapu
- Angus Sampson as Angus Bendleton
- Oscar Kightley as Tavita
- Kaimana as Jaiyah Saelua
- Beulah Koale as Daru Taumua
- Rachel House as Ruth #
- David Fane as Ace
- Chris Alosio as Jonah
- Ioane Goodhue as Smiley
- Lehi Makisi Falepapalangi as Pisa
- Semu Filipo as Rambo
- Luke Hemsworth as Keith
- Kaitlyn Dever as Nicole
- Hio Pelesasa as Samson
- David Tu'itupou as Tall David
- Levy Tuiala as Chief Sila
- Loretta Ables Sayre as Rambo's mom
- Frankie Adams as Frangipani.
Next Goal Wins Director
Best known for his comedic films with a lot of heart, Waititi has been the driving force for Next Goal Wins, and his stellar reputation has been enough to drum up interest in the long-awaited sports movie. The New Zealand writer, director, and actor first made a name for himself penning and directing episodes of the cult-classic TV series Flight of the Conchords before quickly jumping to the big screen with indie films like 2007's Eagle vs Shark. His 2014 comedy hit What We Do in the Shadows gained him worldwide attention, and it wasn't long before Hollywood came calling.
Waititi was tapped to direct the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Ragnarok in 2017, and the director's distinct visual eye and comedic timing made the film a smash hit. Waititi's 2019 film Jojo Rabbit scored him an Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay along with a Best Picture nomination, and the New Zealander was affirmed as one of the most in-demand directors in Hollywood. Despite a wide range of topics and tones, every Waititi film blends comedy and drama deftly, and Next Goal Wins is such an anticipated project because of what the director can bring to the gripping true story.
The Next Goal Wins Story
Next Goal Wins has already been made into a movie before. The movie is based on the American Samoa team and their fight to make it to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. What was inspirational about the team was that the team lost in 2001 to Australia 31-0 in the biggest blowout in international football history. They lost consistently ever since and were considered the worst team in the world. However, American Samoa hired a new American coach named Thomas Rongen. He then trained the team and led them to the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. The documentary was released in 2014 and this Next Goal Wins story is a fictional re-telling by director Taika Waititi.
Next Goal Wins Trailer
The Next Goal Wins trailer shows that the movie might be telling an inspirational sports story based on real-life events, but it will have the quirky humor of director Taika Waititi. The trailer immediately lets people know this is not taking things too seriously. The trailer even says that the movie is "mostly" based on a true story, a fact accentuated by Michael Fassbender playing coach Thomas Rongen as a characterization clearly not meant to be taken too seriously. However, knowing Waititi, there will be some heart behind the story, but as American Samoa CEO Tavita Taumua said, this is more of a comedy than anything else.
