A Thailand soccer team consisting of 12 boys aged 11 to 16 and their coach went missing in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province. They belonged to the Wild Boars football team and were located after a week. Fortunately, they were alive but deep within the nearly 6-mile cave complex which was not easily accessible. They were living on borrowed time with no food or water, and it became an international issue with experts arriving from different countries to make suitable rescue plans.
Sky News reports that this race against time captivated the imagination of the world and Hollywood feels it could become a blockbuster.
American producer, Michael Scott, managing partner of Pure Flix, is believed to be in talks with the boys, their families and others who were involved in the Thai cave rescue mission to gain exclusive rights for the story.
Rescue of the Thai boys was sensational
It began as normal hiking by the boys into the Tham Luang cave, but the team got trapped due to water gushing in after heavy rains. They were located after a week and efforts began to rescue them. Initially, it was by the local divers of Thailand, and the tragic death of a Thai Navy SEAL brought into focus the need to go in for the advice of experts.
Hollywood realized the potentials of the rescue mission. It was loaded with ingredients to make a blockbuster movie, and American producer Michael Scott of Pure Flix seized the opportunity.
He traveled to the rescue scene with co-producer Adam Smith to conduct preliminary interviews. He confided to a media outlet that "I see this as a major Hollywood film with A-list stars." Pure Flix is trying to rope in a screenwriter and hopes to start production later this year.
The Thai rescue a blessing in disguise
Tham Luang cave had been unknown to the outside world, and the recent developments have come as a blessing in disguise for Thailand.
According to BBC, the operation has enough material for a full-length movie, and two production companies have shown interest because the story can turn out to be an absorbing movie.
One of those companies is Pure Flix. Its co-founder is Michael Scott who has an advantage because he lives in Thailand and his wife grew up with the unfortunate Thai Navy Seal Member who died in the mission.
However, Los Angeles-based Ivanhoe Pictures have said that “they have been officially picked by the Thai government and navy to develop the film.”
Incidentally, officials feel that the wide media coverage of that the cave complex received could be exploited if it is converted to a museum. It would be a "major attraction" for the country because Tham Luang cave is one of the largest cave systems in the region. It is an undeveloped area and has limited tourism facilities, and if these are improved, it could prove to be a tourist attraction. A few tourist attractions in the US are the White House, Florida Keys, Kilauea volcano etcetera.
