Thailand cave rescue operation to be adapted into movie or TV show, as Hollywood producers begin research

The nail-biting rescue of a Thai boys football team and their coach from a flooded cave complex transfixed news viewers around the world, and the story could be headed for a retelling by Hollywood.

Divers freed the last four of 12 boys and the adult coach on Tuesday, a successful end to a mission that gripped the world for more than two weeks.

Producers with US-based Pure Flix, a studio that specialises in Christian and family movies, already are on the ground interviewing rescue workers for a potential film. Pure Flix co-founder Michael Scott lives in Thailand part of the year and said he became captivated by the story while watching the news at his home in Bangkok. His wife grew up with the former Thai navy SEAL who died during the mission, he added.

“I could not be more excited; this story has meant so much to me as I followed it,” he  told Variety. “To see all that bravery in the cave and then to get all the divers out has been such a touching event.”

Scott said he believes the international cooperation at the scene will help stoke interest in a movie about the effort.

Pure Flix joins the rest of the world in thanking God for answering prayers for the successful rescue of those trapped in the cave in Thailand.

Managing partner Michael Scott, from his home in Thailand, has been helping at the cave rescue in Chiang Rai the past 4 days. pic.twitter.com/htt1vN9oU1

— Great American Pure Flix (@PureFlix) July 10, 2018

“It’s Thai, Westerners, Europeans, Aussies, people from all over the world who helped bring these kids to safety,” he said. “I think there is a world wide appeal which I think will inspire millions across the globe.”

The attempt to retrieve the boys and their coach became a race against time amid a forecast of heavy rain that threatened to flood the cave tunnels with fast-flowing and rising water, adding plenty of suspense.

Bringing the Thai drama to the screen faces hurdles, however. First, filmmakers need to secure the rights from each of the boys’ families, the coach and any rescuers they want to portray, in order to get their firsthand accounts of what happened. The boys are ages 11 to 16. And replicating the rescue on screen could be costly.

The Thai rescue also could draw interest from TV networks, which could provide a quicker path to the screen. It remains unclear who the heroes would be in any film or TV version.

With inputs from Reuters