The Wild Boars may have just been ushered to safety, but the story of the youth soccer team trapped deep in a Thailand cave for more than two weeks is already headed to the big screen.
Pure Flix, a Christian film and television studio based in Arizona that focuses on faith and inspirational movies, has confirmed that they are already in the early stages of working on a movie based on the harrowing ordeal of the 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, their 25-year-old soccer coach, and the rescue mission to save them that captivated the world.
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“This just kind of fits our DNA in terms of a really inspirational story,” Pure Flix founding partner Michael Scott, whose wife was friends with the Thai navy SEAL that died during the rescue mission, told News.com.au. “It’s got incredible heart, incredible acts of heroism and bravery. It’s just an incredible thing and we think it will inspire millions around the world. I see this as a major Hollywood film with A-list [stars].”
While details of the film are still being worked out, it will reportedly center around the two British divers who discovered the Wild Boars soccer team on Monday, July 2, nine days after the team had ventured into the Tham Luang Nang Non cave and became trapped by rising waters caused by monsoon rains.
Scott, along with producer Adam Smith, have spent the past several days in the area around the Tham Luang cave complex in northern Chiang Rai province observing the rescue operation and laying the groundwork for what they believe will be not only a Hollywood blockbuster film, but also a worldwide blockbuster. While they have already conducted preliminary interviews with those in the region, they intend to interview those from the rescue mission, the Wild Boar soccer team survivors, and their families, all in a bid to tell their tale.
Those interviews will likely have to wait, though, as the 12 boys and their coach, the final five of whom were guided out of the cave on Tuesday, July 10, remain quarantined at a hospital in Chiang Rai. Although they survived their ordeal in the cave, doctors now fear they face a high risk of infection and possible “cave disease,” an infection in the lungs caused by Histoplasma fungus.
“There’s going to be other production companies coming in so we have to act pretty quickly,” Scott said of Pure Flix’s quick actions, though he added that he and Smith are keeping a respectful distance from the scene currently. “I’ve told them once this has died down let’s really sit down and have a more in-depth interview on what’s really happening.”
Scott believes that production on the film could start as soon as late 2019, and he expects that the film will draw several big name screenwriters, producers, and actors.
