Behind-the-scenes international intrigue, cronyism and allegations of vast corruption schemes: the story of Fifa, football's governing body, is surely ripe for a dramatic Hollywood retelling.

But a film in the works, starring Tim Roth and Gérard Depardieu, looks likely instead to be a sanitised version of its history and a hagiography of Sepp Blatter, its controversial president.

The film project is provisionally titled F2014 and will be released next year, to coincide with the 110th anniversary of Fifa and the World Cup in Brazil. It will be shot in Azerbaijan, France and Brazil, according to the Azerbaijani ministry of culture. Roth will play Blatter, while Depardieu will play Jules Rimet, the longest-serving president in Fifa history, whose name adorns the World Cup trophy.

The film is being made by Leuviah Films, a French production company that does not appear to have any previous movie credits, and Thelma Films. It is unclear who is funding the project, but it appears to have the full approval of Fifa. Roth is 25 years younger than the 77-year-old Blatter, but the Fifa president said he felt "the casting was well done".

A video on Fifa's website shows a meeting between Blatter and Roth, with Blatter emerging from the back seat of a limousine to embrace the actor. "It was a very interesting get-together," said Blatter after the meeting. "I had read a lot of the CV and all the realisations [films] that this Tim Roth has made. I was very eager to meet him, and I have just realised that really we have something in common."

Blatter said Roth agreed that the pair had "some common, let's say, qualities".

Depardieu became a Russian citizen this year, and was handed his new passport by President Vladimir Putin. Since then, he has been travelling across Russia and the former Soviet republics in what at times appears to be a concerted effort to consort with the region's least savoury politicians. He has been an enthusiastic guest of Ramzan Kadyrov, the autocratic leader of Chechnya, and has also sung a love duet with Gulnara Karimova, socialite daughter of Uzbekistan's dictator, Islam Karimov.

Blatter has run Fifa since 1998, and has hinted that he may try to stand for re-election when his term expires in 2015, despite previously saying he would not do so. His reign has been characterised by allegations of corruption around Fifa, and he has become known for his controversial statements on issues such as women's football and racism in the game.