TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Thai film company to retell cave boy saga

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Bangkok
Tue, September 11, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Thai film company to retell cave boy saga Three members of the 'Wild Boars' football club pose with divers, who were involved in their rescue operation, during a reception in Bangkok on September 6, 2018. (AFP/Romeo Gacad)

A

Thai-based film company has joined the scramble to retell the dramatic story of the 12 young footballers and their coach who were freed from a flooded cave, one of the producers said Tuesday.

Since the 'Wild Boars' team were extracted from Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand two months ago, there has been a frenzy of media interest in the feel-good tale that captivated the world for weeks.

Documentary makers and Hollywood producers have tussled to get films off the ground, with journalists also spinning book deals from the real-life rescue mission.

A Bangkok production company called De Warrenne Pictures are the latest to agree financing to make their version called "The Cave" with shooting planned for November.

"The project is already set," producer Katrina Grose told AFP, of a movie that will be directed by Tom Waller -- a Bangkok-based filmmaker of mixed Thai-Irish descent.

The operation to save the boys, who wandered into the cave after a football training session and became stuck as floodwaters surged in, involved expert cave divers from across the world.

They were found after 11 days huddled on a muddy ledge without food or fresh water, floodwaters lapping ominously below them.

Read also: 'It was a miracle': Thai cave boys describe two-week ordeal

An ex-Thai Navy SEAL died in the run-up to the daring extraction of the group, who were heavily sedated as they were carried, pulled and dragged free from deep inside the cave.

Initially after their rescue officials imposed a blanket ban on coverage, fearing for the boys' mental health with the world's media camped up in rural Thailand.

But efforts to shield the team have crumbled with TV networks jostling for interviews and the Thai junta organising a seemingly endless stream of media events.

In one of the most bizarre, last Thursday, the boys were encouraged to crawl through a mock-up tunnel in a recreated cave in a Bangkok megamall, where a zone has been dedicated to the rescue. 

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.