The story that gripped the world last year, the rescue of the Wild Boars from Thum Luang cave in Chiang Rai, will make its way to Netflix soon, the Culture Ministry announced on Tuesday at a press conference.
The conference -- led by Netflix International director Erika North, president of International Productions, SK Global Entertainment Michael Hogan and deputy government spokesperson Lt Gen Werachon Sukondhapatipak -- announced a partnership on a project to portray the epic story of the daring rescue mission of the 12 members of the Wild Boar football and their coach from Thum Luang cave, after they were trapped inside for 18 days.
"We are immensely proud to be able to support the retelling of the incredible story of the Thum Luang cave rescue," said North. "The story combines so many unique local and universal themes, which connected people from all walks of life, all around the world. Thailand is a very important market for Netflix and we are looking forward to bringing this inspiring local, but globally resonant story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, to life, once again, for global audiences."
The successful rescue of the Wild Boar football team was hailed as a "miracle". The rescue mission was a collaborative effort between local agents and international divers and rescuers who voluntarily travelled to Thailand. It was an inspiring example of the international community coming together for a single purpose.
Following the successful rescue, the boys have become minor celebrities, attending the Youth Olympic Summer Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as appearing on popular TV shows like Ellen. They have been interviewed by countless media channels both in Thailand and abroad.
It was announced that the project will be co-directed by Jon M. Chu, of Crazy Rich Asians fame, and Thai director Nattawut Poonpiriya, best known for his 2017 film Bad Genius. Netflix were granted the rights for the as yet untitled project by 13 Thumluang Company Limited, which was founded by Ekkapol Chantawong -- the Wild Boars coach who was trapped in the cave with the young footballers -- and the parents of the 12 boys.
"We're looking forward to working with all involved parties to make this possible, so that the world can remember the heroes that made the rescue operation a success," said coach Ekkapol.
However at this stage, information on the format, time-frame and whether the project will be a feature film or a miniseries has not yet been revealed. SK Global president John Penotti said that the project is still very much at the planning stage. But the show aims to stay as close as possible to the reality.
"We're going to do our best to accurately represent what happened and tell the story from a culturally correct point of view," he said.
