‘Thai Cave Rescue’ Drama Series: Netflix Reveals Premiere Date
The long-anticipated Netflix drama about the miraculous 2018 cave rescue of Thailand’s Wild Boars youth soccer team finally has a premiere date of Thursday, September 22, 2022.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the six-episode limited series, Thai Cave Rescue, was filmed entirely in Thailand. It will follow the real-life story of the 12 young boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach who became stuck in a cave complex near the Myanmar border. The series is told from the boys’ perspective, as well as their families and the vast global team that helped save them.
Michael Russell Gunn (Designated Survivor) and Dana Ledoux Miller (Narcos) are behind the series, which is directed by Thailand’s Baz Poonpiriya (Bad Genius) and U.S. director Kevin Tancharoen (The Book of Boba Fett). Gunn and Miller also serve as executive producers alongside Jon N. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), Lance Johnson (Troop Zero), John Penotti (Crazy Rich Asians), John Logan Pierson (Patriots Day), and Tim Coddington (Mulan).
“Thai Cave Rescue is the first opportunity for audiences worldwide to see the Tham Luang story in a new and more emotional light — centering the perspectives of the 12 Wild Boars, Coach Eak, and heroes like Saman’ Ja Sam’ Gunan, whose lives beyond the operation remain largely outside the public spotlight,” said Poonpiriya (via THR).
The cast includes Papangkorn “Beam” Lerkchaleampote as Coach Eak, Thaneth “Ek” Warakulnukroh as Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osottanakorn, and Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund and Manatsanun “Donut” Phanlerdwongsakul as Kelly and Pim — fictional representatives of the real-world hydraulic engineers and park rangers that made the incredible rescue possible. Supakorn “Tok” Kitsuwan portrays former Navy SEAL diver Saman “Ja Sam” Gunan, while Bloom Varin plays army doctor Colonel Bhak Loharjun.
Twelve young local Thai actors play the boys, with filming taking place at the homes of the real boys and Tham Luang, where the boys were trapped.
“As a Thai American, I feel so incredibly fortunate to help tell this story through the lens and soul of the Thai people,” stated Tancharoen. “I wanted to bring my experience of telling big superhero stories to the real world. One where real-life superheroes worked together for a common cause regardless of where they were from, and the only superpowers are the perseverance of the human spirit and what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Thai Cave Rescue, Premieres, Thursday, September 22, Netflix
