Thai Cave Rescue Movie in the Works

Variety.com: The Thai cave rescue operation will likely soon get the movie treatment.

Pure Flix Entertainment is seeking the movie rights about the mission to rescue a dozen boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within a labyrinth.

“I could not be more excited; this story has meant so much to me as I followed it,” Pure Flix managing partner Michael Scott said on Tuesday at the scene of the flooded cave. “To see all that bravery in the cave and then to get all the divers out has been such a touching event.”

The near three-week ordeal prompted an international rescue effort that kept the world on edge. The 12th boy and his coach were the last of the team to be rescued on Tuesday. The team became trapped on June 23 when rising flood water confined them deep inside the cave.

Scott, who lives in Thailand for part of the year, has been assisting in rescue efforts at Chiang Rai for the past four days. He said the story touched him partly because his wife grew up with former Sgt. Saman Kunan, who was working as a volunteer alongside rescuers when he died on July 6.

“We’re here looking at this as a movie that could inspire millions of people around the globe,” Scott said. “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.”

David A.R. White, the production company’s co-founder, told the Wall Street Journal that Pure Flix has begun talking to actors, writers, and investors about partnering on a movie. He also said some potential partners have reached out to Pure Flix, including Thai investors specializing in faith-based stories. “At the same time, these stories still have to be entertaining and moving.”