Thirteen Lives Will Reveal the ‘Miracle’ of 2018 Thai Cave Rescue, Ron Howard Says

A new movie about the 2018 rescue of a Thai soccer team trapped in a cave will spotlight the “unity” and selflessness that was necessary to perform what could be called a “miracle,” director Ron Howard says.

The film, Thirteen Lives (PG-13), will release in select theaters on July 29 before launching globally on Prime Video on August 5. The trailer was released this week and tallied nearly 2 million views in its first 24 hours.

The film tells the story of how thousands of volunteers came together to save 12 boys and their coach from a cave that became flooded when a torrential rain slammed the region.

The deadly predicament and harrowing rescue made headlines around the world. Incredibly, no one died.

Howard told media members during a virtual news conference this week that the film “hopefully does remind us of what is possible when we come together, unify and work.”

He said he wrote on his script the phrase “anatomy of a miracle” – a description that fits what took place, he said.

“As simple and kind of corny as that sounds, that’s what I was always trying to build in the most granular, detailed way,” Howard said.

More than 10,000 volunteers combined with Thai forces and experienced divers to rescue the boys, who had to use scuba gear in order to breathe underwater.

Howard said he wants viewers to understand the “emotional risks, the career risks, the physical risks involved in doing the right thing.”

“Here’s an example where it came together, and it worked, and that’s why you choose these true stories that are extraordinary, that are stranger than fiction in a way,” he said.

Howard called it a “joy” to make the film.

“I learned so much, and I’m just grateful to have had it, and I’m excited to share the movie,” he said.

The film is rated PG-13 for some strong language and unsettling images.

Photo courtesy: ©Amazon, used with permission.

Video courtesy: ©Amazon

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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