Ron Howard to direct cave rescue feature film ‘Thirteen Lives’ in Australia

By The Thaiger

 

PHOTO: The entrance to the real Tham Luang cave near the Myanmar border in far north Thailand

 

The Australian Government is putting up A$13 million to Imagine Entertainment and film giant MGM to shoot a live-action feature film called Thirteen Lives, based on the Chiang Rai Tham Luang cave rescue story. The film will be shot in Queensland, Australia in the hinterland areas behind the Gold Coast.

 

The film will be directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, The Da Vince Code, Cocoon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Splash, Frost/Nixon), and start filming in March 2021. The state’s Gold Coast hinterland will double for Thailand with a similar hot, humid climate.

 

The Australian Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher MP, says the production ishould inject more than A$96 million into the Australian economy, “directly creating around 435 jobs for cast and crew”.

 

“Thirteen Lives will tell the remarkable story of the effort by many volunteers, including Australians, to undertake an incredibly complex rescue. And I am proud to say that this story will be told here in Australia."

 

“I understand this project will also undertake a significant amount of cutting-edge visual effects work here, a great opportunity for our local post, digital and visual effects companies.”

 

Thirteen Lives follows the true story of the 2018 Tham Laung cave rescue of the Mu Pa (Wild Boar) football team, trapped in a cave by heavy rain and flooding in Chiang Rai, far north Thailand. After the team was stuck for days with no supplies and falling oxygen levels, a group of diving and rescue experts from all over the world were called up to work together with their Thai counterparts to save the 13 young men.

 

Among those experts were a group of divers from the United Kingdom and Australia.

 

The first major feature film about the rescue operation was The Cave, released in October 2019. The film was quite critical of the Thai red-tape which hampered much of the early rescue efforts.

 

 

Ron Howard has worked with plenty of Australians in the past.

“From Thirteen Lives to the animated projected I am directing with Animal Logic in Australia, I am excited about the opportunity to film and work in Australia and dramatically expand on that list of collaborators whose sensibilities and work ethic I have long admired and respected.”

 

Imagine Entertainment and MGM’s Thirteen Lives will be distributed by Universal Pictures International.

 

Watch a message from director Ron Howard HERE.

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/news/chiang-rai/ron-howard-to-direct-cave-rescue-feature-film-thirteen-lives-in-australia

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2020-11-30

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Enough with the cave rescue already!!!! 

Happy days ????

Bet they recruit Oz asians to play the Thais, complete with authentic Oz accents, rescuers who all appear to be Ozzies (look who is paying), especially the brave ones who do all the saving and tear jerking (as per their cricketers). They might even throw in a few product placements - feeding the starving kids with Vegemite, perhaps, great locations for future tourist attractions (the location mentioned is an old mining area and since the mines closed has been used to attract tourists with such things as the old Kuranda scenic railway). Anyway the movie has been done before and I got the T shirt. Watch out for stray wallabies.

 

Edited November 30, 20205 yr by Card

2 hours ago, Card said:

Bet they recruit Oz asians to play the Thais, complete with authentic Oz accents, rescuers who all appear to be Ozzies (look who is paying), especially the brave ones who do all the saving and tear jerking (as per their cricketers). They might even throw in a few product placements - feeding the starving kids with Vegemite, perhaps, great locations for future tourist attractions (the location mentioned is an old mining area and since the mines closed has been used to attract tourists with such things as the old Kuranda scenic railway). Anyway the movie has been done before and I got the T shirt. Watch out for stray wallabies.

 

Kuranda is 2000km from the Gold Coast hinterlands.

5 hours ago, Card said:

Bet they recruit Oz asians to play the Thais, complete with authentic Oz accents, rescuers who all appear to be Ozzies (look who is paying), especially the brave ones who do all the saving and tear jerking (as per their cricketers). They might even throw in a few product placements - feeding the starving kids with Vegemite, perhaps, great locations for future tourist attractions (the location mentioned is an old mining area and since the mines closed has been used to attract tourists with such things as the old Kuranda scenic railway). Anyway the movie has been done before and I got the T shirt. Watch out for stray wallabies.

 

theres no mine workings anywhere near kuranda suitable for this movie the only place are the undara lava tubes about 270 ks away.

So disappointing its not David Cronenberg ????

^ At least he makes decent lager?

Thailand misses out on big hollywood blockbuster boosting the economy. That should be the headline

9 hours ago, Card said:

Bet they recruit Oz asians to play the Thais, complete with authentic Oz accents, rescuers who all appear to be Ozzies (look who is paying), especially the brave ones who do all the saving and tear jerking (as per their cricketers). They might even throw in a few product placements - feeding the starving kids with Vegemite, perhaps, great locations for future tourist attractions (the location mentioned is an old mining area and since the mines closed has been used to attract tourists with such things as the old Kuranda scenic railway). Anyway the movie has been done before and I got the T shirt. Watch out for stray wallabies.

 

Hope there is no sandpaper involved!!! 5555 ????????????????????????????????????????????????

Streuth , who is going to play the part of Vern Unsworth ?  Not Barry Hump. I hope .

' Ah there yous blokes are , g'day hows it goin '.

Ron Howard. Pretty impressive. 

Thailand has plenty of experience making movies, so there is no excuse for not making it in Thailand at the real cave, even if the cave scenes are shot on set.

 

Shame on Howard for this slap in the face to Thailand.

15 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Thailand has plenty of experience making movies, so there is no excuse for not making it in Thailand at the real cave, even if the cave scenes are shot on set.

 

Shame on Howard for this slap in the face to Thailand.

I agree makes me not even want to watch... unless of course they get Elon Musk to do a cameo with his mini submarine stunt.

Edited December 9, 20205 yr by wasabi