Monday, July 25, 2011

Chilean Miners Sell Movie Rights

Less than a year after their captivating struggle to survive, the 33 miners who spent 69 days trapped underground in Chile are going Hollywood.

Producer Michael Medavoy, who earned an Academy Award nomination last year for putting together "Black Swan," announced on Sunday that he purchased the film rights to their story through his Half Circle production company. Oscar-nominated screen writer Jose Rivera will pen the screenplay.

In a statement announcing the film, miner Juan Andrés Illanes, the third to be rescued, celebrated the move and promised untold details of their time down in the mine.

"One year after the collapse of the mine, we consider this to be a great step towards the realization of a film based on our experience in the mine. This is the only official and authorized film about what we lived in the San José mine. Much of our story has never been told," he said.

The crew captured worldwide attention during their struggle, earning round-the-clock news coverage and tributes from around the globe. They were rescued on October 13th, 2010, and soon began fielding countless publicity requests that ultimately resulted in, amongst other things, Disney parades, singing on David Letterman's show, and interviews on major news shows; they later disputed public belief that they contemplated suicide and cannibalism, calling those claims a misunderstood joke that stemmed from their "60 Minutes" appearance.

It was reported in November of last year that Brad Pitt's production company was in talks to purchase the film rights.

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