Hero who fought off terrorists getting movie made about his life

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

A “hero” Millwall fan who fought off Islamist terrorists during the London Bridge attack is set to get his own biopic - written by the creator of Green Street.

Roy Larner, 54, became famous after yelling “F*ck you, I’m Millwall” while throwing punches at three knife-wielding terrorists on June 3, 2017.

Now, renowned screenwriter Dougie Brimson, 65, who is most famous for his football hooligan film Green Street , is set to bring Roy’s life story to the big screen.

Brimson says he was contacted by friends of Roy, who is referred to as The Lion of London Bridge, and couldn’t pass up the chance to meet the legend.

The pair met at the Black and Blue Bar, and Mr Brimson said: “When I left I just knew I had to do it.

“He is a genuine hero, and we have too few of those.

“Even being a veteran like I am, the opportunity to meet with a proper hero is one I wasn’t going to pass up.

“I have obviously known about the story since 2017, and I have been fascinated about what happened to him after.

“He is ready to talk about it now and not just to tell his story but to help other people so nobody else suffers the same injustice he has.”

The football fan story has been subject to controversy over the years, as many believe he should have been compensated and awarded the George Medal for his bravery.

It is widely believed that he has been denied this honor due to his criminal record, with two racist incidents—one before and one after the attack— as well as drug offenses and breaching a restraining order.

On the topic of the related controversies, Brimson says the movie will cover all the gritty details.

He added: “He will be the first to admit that he is not a saint and there are things he has done in the past which they have used as weapons against him.

“We won’t shy away from that in the movie. We aren’t going to paint Roy as Mother Teresa, it will be warts and all.”

Brimson says he was inspired to make the film highlighting the “injustice” on the back of the Mr Bates vs The Post Office ITV show.

He explained: “The public opinion behind that injustice said to me that more than ever we need to reveal this injustice.

“Whilst it isn’t on the scale of the post office scandal, for Roy it is because it happened to him, and it is continuing to happen to him.

“There is still a battle to get him the George medal which he deserves.

“We have got far too few heroes in this country to not celebrate the ones that we have, and Roy is one of those heroes.

“I just absolutely believe in this story, it must be told.

“We all know the story of what happened that night but a lot of people don’t get the rest of what happened, and it is a terrible injustice.”

Leo Gregory, who worked with Brimson on Green Street and Top Dog, has already been cast to play the lead role.

The screenwriter says the actor bears an “uncanny resemblance to Roy” and will be able to play the role accurately as he is also from working-class origins.

He added: “It was just the perfect fit.

“He gets the world and that is the type of thing you can’t teach someone. The audience know that Leo is the real deal, he is not just some middle-class actor we have shoehorned into the role.

“Roy is ecstatic about Leo Gregory playing him because he is very familiar with Green Street.”

Filming locations and dates are yet to be decided, but the team hopes it will start in 2025.

The original idea was for the project to be a documentary, but it was decided that the story was better fitted to a drama.

Brimson says the story will be providing a much-needed representation for the working class in the media.

He said: “I am not saying that Roy’s story is going to be a barrel of laughs, but we are certainly going to get a lot of that working-class humor into it.

“It is a people’s film because it is about one of us.

“We posted a couple of things on social media and the reaction has been incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

Brimson says he has since had the “privilege” of watching a Millwall game with the Lion of London Bridge himself and claims that he was approached constantly by adoring fans.

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