A movie studio is already eyeing the incredible rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a cave in Thailand for a film.
Michael Scott, co-founder of Pure Flix Entertainment, which produces faith-based films (including Same Kind of Different as Me starring Renée Zellweger), has been in northern Thailand near the site of the cave rescue. Scott, who spends part of his year in Thailand, posted a video to Twitter explaining his attachment to the story.
“This story has meant so much to me, as I followed it here in Thailand this summer,” Scott said in a video. “My wife actually was — grew up with the Thai Navy Seal that died [former Sgt. Saman Kunan, who died during the rescue efforts] in the caves, and so to see all that heroic bravery in that cave and to get all the divers out, it’s been such a touching, touching event and so personal to me.”
“We’re here looking at this as a movie that could inspire millions of people around the globe,” he continued. “We’re here witnessing the events and gathering some contact information to really tell a story about the entire world coming together to save 13 kids trapped in a cave on the Chinese border.”
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
Scott has already spoken to some of the family members of the trapped boys, along with around 90 of the divers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Pure Flix is trying to secure “life rights,” the Wall Street Journal reported, “which would give the company license to dramatize the story.”
Scott’s Pure Flix co-founder David A.R. White has already begun to talk to screenwriters, investors and actors, WSJ reported, and Scott told THR that the film would likely be released under the Pure Flix more mainstream branch, Pinnacle Peak, with a budget between $30 and $60 million.
The harrowing story began on June 23, when 12 members of the Wild Boar soccer team — between the ages of 11 and 16 — got trapped in a cave, along with their 27-year-old coach, due to a flash flood. On July 2, British divers located the team, and the international extraction effort — which included divers from the U.K., Australia, and more — took place between July 8 and July 10. All 13 were safely removed from the cave.
“It’s not necessary to make this a Christian film,” Scott told THR, “just an inspirational one.”