A feature-length motion picture covering Arthur Beetson’s career and the first State of Origin at Lang Park in 1980 has been rubber stamped and will be called ‘The Underdogs’.

According to a report in The Courier Mail, filming will begin in 2021 and will be directed by Neil McGregor.

‘The Underdogs’ script was written by Todd and Sam Atwood who interviewed several figures of the time from both Queensland and New South Wales.

“Sport and film evoke the triumph of human spirit in a powerful way,” McGregor said.

“The great rivalry of the State of Origin, while it may divide us by a line on the map, it also unites us in a very unique, Australian way. This first Origin game is a crucial event in our country’s sporting and cultural history, and this story needs to be told.”