Movie makers eye Thai cave rescue
July 12, 2018
Children in danger, a dramatic rescue operation with divers risking life and limb to help 12 young boys and their soccer coach get out of a flooded cave in Thailand – that is the stuff Hollywood movies are made of.
And two production companies have reportedly already shown an interest in the story.
Read more: Thai boys lost weight but generally well after cave ordeal
'Touching event'
"We're here (in Thailand) really looking at this as a movie that could inspire millions of people across the globe," says Michael Scott CEO of Pure Flix, which specializes in Christian and family films.
Pure Flix is said to be speaking to actors, writers and potential investors about making a film about the heroic acts. Scott, who lives in Thailand for part of the year, followed the events at the rescue site in Chiang Rai for days, and also witnessed the boys being brought out from the cave.
"To see all that heroic bravery in the cave, and to get all the divers out, it's just such a touching event and so personal to me," says Scott, whose wife is of Thai descent.
Ivanhoe Pictures is the other company said to be interested in turning the risky rescue into a movie with director Jon M. Chu.
No whitewash promised
California-born Chu, who has Chinese heritage, also tweeted that he will not "let Hollywood #whitewashout the Thai Cave rescue story.".
Read more: Ex-Thailand navy SEAL dies while working to save boys from cave
The Thai cave rescue saga is reminiscent of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster and rescue of 33 miners trapped for 69 days.
Starring Antonio Banderas, the survival drama entitled "The 33" hit the movie theaters in 2015. People may have been glued to their screens when the actual drama unfolded, but the film was not a box office success.