Joey Barton has announced he is to take time off from filming his Joey Barton biopic Joseph Barton: Rise of the Dawn, citing stress.

The blockbuster, self-funded, has been described by Barton as “grittily true to life” despite portraying him as a Marvel-style superhero.

Swooping down from skyscrapers to stub cigars out in teenagers’ eyes and generally thump anyone within reach, Barton evades unmasking by posing as a simple footballer-cum-philosopher by day.

But the intense filming schedule has taken its toll, resulting in an acrimonious split from his club Rangers.

Speaking exclusively to himself, Barton outlined the stress he felt from trying to do justice to his own legacy.

He said: “Whoever took on the task of documenting my life in film was always going to be under obscene amounts of pressure to get it right.

“Having cast myself as myself in the lead role, I’ve barely even had time to tweet.

“I thought I’d be able to have it done by the end of the year but I’m not some kind of superhero.

“Er, by which I mean I am some kind of superhero, so after a brief period of recuperation I’ll be raring to get punching extras again.

“We’re probably looking at the 2017 summer blockbuster market now, which is ideal because I’ll probably be England manager by then.”