Movie About John Hesp's Exploits at the 2017 WSOP

(Photo: Usatftw.com)

64 year-old amateur poker player John Hesp proved that the poker dream is still alive when he made an epic run in the 2017 WSOP Main Event. Finishing in fourth place for $2,600,000, the Bridlington-born caravan salesman outlasted more than 7,200 other players in the third largest Main Event field ever. What made Hesp's run so inspiring was that less than a month before he was competing for a $8,000,000+ first-prize and the most prestigious accolade in poker, he was playing £10 buy-in tournaments at his local casino in Hull.

Becoming the talk of the tournament and an instant fan-favourite with his garish clothes and unorthodox style of play, Hesp's journey from being a recreational player to becoming a WSOP legend is now being made into a movie. Speaking with Alex Grove from Hull Daily Mail, Hesp revealed:

"I got contacted by two or three produces when I was out in Vegas, including some Hollywood names, but I elected to go with a UK-based company."

Hesp also explained that 'the offer is formalized in writing' and is 'about 90 per cent' completed. At this point, it's just the smaller legal details to be finalized which are being handled by Hesp's lawyers.

Hoping that the film will capture the 'feel good' nature of his story, the grandfather-of-seven quipped that he would be happy for George Clooney to represent him on the silver screen. The Hollywood star certainly has been known to enjoy a game of poker with other celebrity players like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck – he'll just need to perfect the Yorkshire accent if he's keen to take the role!