Aidan Gillen, Colm Meaney Lead 'Paddy Power' Film on Irish Betting Giant

Brian Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Alex Murphy and Aidan Gillen will star in "Paddy Power," a feature film charting the rise of the Dublin bookmaker that became one of the world's most recognizable betting companies, Playhouse Studios announced.

Matt Lipsey ("Ted Lasso," "Inside No.9") will direct. The adaptation marks the first title from Playhouse's original scripted slate — a notable milestone for the Irish media production company.

What is the film based on?

The script adapts "Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever," the award-winning investigative book by journalist Aaron Rogan. Long-time writing duo Dale Longmore and John Quinn ("Bump") will pen the adaptation alongside Brian Durnin ("Spilt Milk").

The synopsis promises the "crazy true story of how one man bet big on brash advertising and brought online gambling — and addiction — to every corner of the globe." It continues: "An inherently Irish origin story, it claws open the lid of how a few chancers changed the world as we know it, destroying hundreds of thousands of people's lives forever."

Charming material, in short.

Who said what?

"'Paddy Power' stood out immediately as a story with real scale, authentic dark humour, grit and tenacity. You could not make up this incredible story," said Playhouse CEO Peggy Cafferty. "Aaron Rogan's voice made the book such an easy, engaging read and we feel the writing team captured the adaptation brilliantly. This is the extraordinary rise of one company that refused to play by the rules and set out on a path of ambition, risk and consequence. They stepped outside the norms of marketing with brilliant twists and always with wit. We are thrilled with this exceptional creative team and cast, this is a fearless production and a narrative that resonates with audiences far beyond Ireland — everyone loves a great, true story that's as dramatic as fiction."

Rogan, for his part, framed the timing as part of the appeal. "I'm delighted that Peggy and the team at Playhouse see the same value in the Paddy Power story that I have since I started reporting on them a decade ago," he said. "It's an Irish story with global appeal and the growth of the gambling industry in the U.S. in recent years makes this adaptation all the more timely."

The cast and creatives

The leading quartet brings serious Irish pedigree:

• Brian Gleeson ("Under Salt Marsh," "Logan Lucky")
• Colm Meaney ("Law Abiding Citizen," "Layer Cake")
• Alex Murphy ("Saipan," "The Young Offenders")
• Aidan Gillen ("Game of Thrones," "Queer as Folk")

Lipsey's credits span comedy and dark television alike, pairing "Ted Lasso" with the anthology "Inside No.9" — a fit, perhaps, for a story the producers themselves call darkly funny.

Why does this matter for Playhouse?

The company is building an integrated production ecosystem (a single outfit spanning development, financing, production and post-production) across the U.K. and Ireland. It recently opened a Playhouse Post base in London's Soho and added a Belfast office.

Playhouse also recently financed Underground Films and Rocliffe Productions' "Lemonade," starring Barry Keoghan, which world premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. "Paddy Power" now becomes the test of whether the studio's scripted ambitions match its infrastructure — a decade-old book about bookmakers, arriving just as American gambling markets boom.