Real-Life Heroes in Thai Cave Rescue Set to Play Themselves in Movie Version

Real-life divers and rescue volunteers who saved a soccer team of 12 Thai boys and their coach stuck in a cave will make their big-screen debut in a dramatization of the rescue operation. The Cave, which is directed by Thai-Irish director Tom Waller, will feature Belgian cave rescue diver Jim Warny and dive instructors Erik Brown from Canada, Mikko Paasi from Finland, and Tan Xiaolong from China, Variety reports. The real-life American journalist Todd Ruiz, who covered the rescue mission for a Thai-based English newspaper, will also play himself in the movie. Hundreds of extras in the film will be comprised of both actors and people who were present at the event. Waller told Variety: “Like the rescue itself, I wanted the cast to be made up of both local and international characters, speaking in their own tongue.” The movie is expected to be released in Thailand later this year.