Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell join Ron Howard’s film on 2018 Thai caves rescue mission

Filmmaker Ron Howard has roped in Hollywood stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton for his upcoming movie about the 2018 Thai caves rescue mission.

Titled “Thirteen Lives”, the movie will start shooting in Australia this month before moving on to Thailand, reported Deadline.

Besides the three stars, the film will also feature actors Weir Sukollawat, Thiraphat Sajakul, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Vithaya Pansringarm, Teeradon “James” Supapunpinyo, Nophand Boonyai, Tom Bateman, Paul Gleeson and Lewis Fitz-Gerald.

“Thirteen Lives” is based on the true story of the 2018 Tham Laung cave rescue of a boys’ soccer team, who were trapped for days with no supplies and decreasing oxygen levels. A group of divers from all over the world came together to retrieve them.

All of the boys, and the coach, were saved before floodwaters completely filled the caves.

Mortensen will play Richard Stanton, a cave rescue specialist who in 2019 was honored with the George Medal, the second-highest civilian award for bravery. Farrell will portray veteran cave diver John Volanthen, who specializes in underwater rescues and was also honored with a George Medal.

Edgerton will essay the role of Dr Richard Harris, an anesthetist and cave diver with over 30 years of experience, who was named Australian of the Year in 2019 following the rescue.

Supapunpinyo will feature as the boys’ coach “Ek” Ekkaphon Chanthawong, while Sukollawat will portray former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, who gave up his life for the rescue mission.

Howard, known for movies such as “Apollo 13”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code”, will direct the new feature from a script by William Nicholson.

The filmmaker is also producing the project alongside Brian Grazer and Karen Lunder of Imagine Entertainment, PJ van Sandwijk of Storyteller Productions, and Gabrielle Tana of Magnolia Mae.

Executive producers are William M. Conner, Jon Kuyper, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Marie Savare, Michael Lesslie, Aaron L Gilbert and Jason Cloth.