Lights, cameras, Wrexham: How Hollywood story is unfolding at Wrexham

Wrexham's owners-elect Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Filming has begun on the documentary that is set to chart the unlikely 'Hollywood' takeover of National League side Wrexham by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The making of a documentary had been mooted as one reason behind the duo's decision to take control of the north Wales club, which was backed by supporters in November.

Manager Dean Keates revealed this week production had started and captain Shaun Pearson says filming has stepped up.

"They asked to come and follow me the other day to do a couple of bits," said Pearson, speaking to Friday night's Radio Wales Sport.

"I expected maybe two people to turn up and next thing I know there's a couple of black vans, three cars and about 10 people jump out, all at my house.

"I'm thinking that this is something we're not used to as players.

"We've had one person in with us for a few weeks and this week it's gone up a notch with a lot more camera crews around.

"Now that we're seeing a lot more cameras here we might see people in their best gear and definitely a few fresh haircuts."

Far from being a distraction, Pearson says the documentary crew have become so embedded that they are extended members of the first-team circle.

"The main man that's doing the documentary, the producer, is almost like part of the group in a sense now and we try and include him in all the fines," he said.

"He's become part of the team really and I think he wants us to win as much as we want to win, which is pleasing.

"But it's not too bad and to be fair we hadn't lost up until Tuesday night, so it obviously helped with an upturn rather than downturn in results."

Defeat at home by Altrincham was Wrexham's first in six games and their first since the takeover was backed by members of the Supporters Trust.

The club's efforts to get promoted back o the EFL, from which they were relegated in 2008, will no doubt be the documentary's main focus.

But Pearson believes involving the town and community as part of a wider narrative will also be central to the series.

"We've not been told what the line of it is going to be - we just know that they're filming on a daily basis," Pearson said.

"It's not going to be purely football as they're getting out and about within the town with different people.

"I'm guessing it's going to be the football club being at the heart of that type of thing rather than just purely football.

"It is the one thing in the town that brings more people together than anything else and if the football club is doing well then generally the town is doing well off the back of it.

"Everything improves with it so fingers crossed.

"The big thing for us as a group of players now is that it becomes another motivation - can we be the group that takes the club up?

"Since I've been here that's what we've been desperate to achieve and whether that's now, next year or whatever, we're desperate to achieve it whilst I'm here."

• It's Always Sunny in... Wrexham?

Wrexham - the football club and the wider community - have been lifted by the takeover and the unlikely involvement of Reynolds and McElhenney.

News of their interest was announced following an uncertain time for Wrexham and other lower-league clubs who had been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

After the 2019-20 season was halted in March, Wrexham furloughed staff and players and admitted the crisis posed a "threat to the continued existence" to the club.

"Last season, when the season finished early, we went on to furlough and all the players took pay cuts for a period of time to help the club survive," Pearson added.

"Even going into this season you were a bit concerned because we didn't know if the season was going to get started and if it did start, would it get completed.

"People would be lying if they said they weren't concerned how we were going to get our wages all season.

"But with this going through you'd like to think that's more secure.

"The people in charge of the club before were good people and would have done the best by us anyway. But the circumstances we find ourselves in, you never know what might have happened."

The harsh realities of life as a footballer in the fifth tier of English football are a world away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

"Your motivation pretty much every year at this level is to get yourself a contract for the following season, whether that's here or elsewhere," Pearson added.

"Even before the takeover, to be honest with you at the level you're at you are not going to get better than this football club.

"But even more so now, with obviously a little bit of finance in there and people you'd like to think will be motivated and want to do well."