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Amazon Studios and MGM have recently released the trailer for the upcoming survival film, Thirteen Lives, which is based on the 2018 Thailand cave rescue mission that took the world by storm. It is now the third film that details the dramatic rescue of twelve boys and their football coach from the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand. The first was The Cave (2019), which featured several of the real-life divers and participants of the mission. Tom Waller's feature didn't exactly become a hit among critics and audiences due to its pacing issues and lack of Hollywood flair, but it was noted as a faithful adaptation of the event that the world would never forget. The second was a 2021 documentary feature directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin which showcased real footage that took two years to obtain. Despite these behind-the-scenes issues regarding the rights to the story, The Rescue premiered at the 48th Telluride Film Festival to critical acclaim.
P.J. van Sandwijk, who was also a producer on The Rescue, returns to produce the retelling of this inspiring story in the new film with Brian Grazer, Karen Lunder, William M. Connor, and Gabrielle Tana. William Nicholson, who had a hand in developing the story alongside Don MacPherson, pens the script for this highly anticipated feature with Ron Howard in the director's chair. Thirteen Lives features a star-studded cast as the members of the rescue team. Set to release in select theaters and on Prime Video, viewers can once again “witness the greatest rescue the world has ever seen” that required more than 10,000 volunteers. Keep reading for more details on the inspiring story that drew in global intrigue.
Watch the Official Trailer for Thirteen Lives
The first official trailer based on the incredible true story premiered on June 28, 2022. It revealed the chilling dangers behind the escape mission that a team of world-class divers had to face to accomplish a near-impossible rescue. In one standout scene in the two-and-a-half-minute trailer, Richard Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) describes to worried bystanders and divers that attempting to rescue the victims would result in tragedy. “You try and dive those kids the whole way, all you’d be bringing out is dead bodies,” Stanton forcibly declares. As the music crescendos in the background and the team settle on a “crazy” idea, Thirteen Lives promises to thrill audiences from beginning to end with both anxiety and inspiration.
When is Thirteen Lives Coming Out?
Originally scheduled for a theaters-only release by distribution venture United Artists Releasing (UAR) on April 15, 2022, Thirteen Lives' scores from test screenings were among some of the best in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios' history. As a result, UAR pushed its release date to a more favorable slot in November. However, Amazon Studios' recent acquisition of MGM in March changed the marketing strategy and trajectory, and they settled the film's final dates and platforms this past May. Thirteen Lives will release in select theaters on July 29th for a limited time before its global premiere on Prime Video on Friday, August 5th.
Who is in the Cast of Thirteen Lives?
Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell lead the cast of this harrowing tale of danger, bravery, and international triumph. Mortensen, whose acting credits expand over 35+ years, is famous for his roles in The Lord of the Rings franchise, the Best Picture winner at the 91st Academy Awards Green Book, and more recently, the sci-fi body horror film Crimes of the Future. He plays Richard Stanton, a British cave diver who specializes in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organization. Farrell, who was discovered over 25 years ago, also stars. The Irish actor's notable work includes The Lobster and the recent blockbuster hit The Batman, in which his transformation and performance as Penguin became a crowd favorite. Fans can also expect to see Farrell on screen for a third time this year in The Banshees of Inisherin, written and directed by Martin McDonagh and scheduled for release on October 21st. In Thirteen Lives, Farrell plays Stanton's courageous British dive partner John Volanthen, who uses his hobby to volunteer and assist with rescues.
As revealed in the Thirteen Lives trailer, Stanton and Volanthen lend helping hands to a team of local authorities and international rescue divers led by Sahajak Boonthanakit’s Governor Narongsak. Viewers may recognize Boonthanakit from a small role in Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives as police colonel Kim and more recently, his role in Netflix's action-thriller Fistful of Vengeance. This star-studded cast also includes Joel Edgerton, who was featured in the biographical romantic drama Loving and 2021's underrated medieval fantasy film The Green Knight. Edgerton plays Richard “Harry” Harris, the Australian anesthetist and cave diver who joined the mission and suggested efforts that were deemed essential to the rescue. And to round out the cast are Tom Bateman’s Chris Jewell, Sukollawat Kanarot as Saman Kunan, Thiraphat Sajakul as Anand, Vithaya Pansringarm as General Anupong Paochinda, Paul Gleeson as Jason Mallinson, and Teeradon Supapunpinyo as Ekkaphon Chanthawong.
What is the Background Behind Thirteen Lives?
Thirteen Lives is based on the true story of the unforgettable rescue mission of thirteen people trapped in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Noncave system. A junior football team, whose players' ages ranged from 11-16 years old, and their 25-year-old coach visited the cave after football practice in late June 2018. Unfortunately, heavy rainfall and rising water levels resulted in the team becoming trapped, preventing them from escaping to safety. With the tragedy making international news, cave divers and rescuers from various countries joined the impossible mission to save the team’s lives. It would take nine days for the team of rescue divers to find the fourteen who were confined to the dark chamber. Even then, the operation proved to be both dangerous and challenging.
What is the Plot of Thirteen Lives?
The synopsis provided by Amazon Studios is as follows:
In the true story of Thirteen Lives, twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning.