Though he's already developing at least one sequel to last year's hit rom-com Crazy Rich Asians and is gearing up to direct the adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, Jon M. Chu is also making space in his schedule to work on a project about the Thai cave rescue that become a worldwide news event last year. Netflix has now stepped in to buy it.
The true story of how 12 boys and their soccer coach were rescued after being trapped for two weeks inside of the flooded Tham Luang caves near Chiang Mai, Thailand during the summer of 2018 riveted the world and at least one other group is developing their take. Chu's aim is to avoid "whitewashing" the story, collaborating with Thai filmmaker Nattawut “Baz” Poonpiriya.
While Chu, Poonpiriya and the producers have yet to decide whether it'll become a TV series or a film fo the streaming service, they're clearly excited to get to work on it. "Like the rest of the world, we were riveted by the news of the Thai cave rescue. With the entire globe watching, this tragic human drama transformed into a beautiful, inspirational story of human beings saving other human beings. Not only did this show the best of the human spirit overcoming even the worst of circumstances, it proved that we are stronger when we work together," says Chu. "Which is why, with the support of the Thai government and our partners at Netflix, SK Global and Starlight, we are honored and grateful to be able to share the full story of this massive, international effort in a unique multilingual format that will allow us to work with filmmakers from all around the world, like the amazingly talented Nattawut "Baz" Poonpiriya, who understand the nuances and details of the local community in which this story unfolds."
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