The OceanGate Titan submersible tragedy is being made into a fiction film.
The forthcoming movie will be produced by MindRiot Entertainment (which has also set a docuseries based on the former OceanGate mission director Kyle Bingham) and E Brian Dobbins, producer of the 2002 Black comedy slasher, The Blackening.
On 18 June, the tourist submarine named Titan went missing in the North Atlantic during its expedition to the shipwreck of the Titanic passenger liner.
At some point on its journey, Titan suffered a “catastrophic implosion” killing all five people on board, including Stockton Rush, the submersible’s pilot and the chief executive officer of OceanGate.
“The Titan Tragedy is yet another example of a misinformed and quick-to-pounce system, in this case, our nonstop, 24-7 media cycle that convicts and ruins the lives of so many people without any due process,” MindRiot co-founder Jonathan Keasey said in a statement via Deadline.
“Our film will not only honour all those involved in the submersible tragedy, and their families, but the feature will serve as a vessel that also addresses a more macro concern about the nature of media today.”
He added: “Truth is all that matters. And the world has a right to know the truth, always, not the salacious bait crammed down our throats by those seeking their five minutes of fame. Life is not black and white. It’s complicated. There’s nuance. Always nuance.”
Five people were killed when the submersible imploded in June— ((OceanGate Expeditions/PA))
Casting for the movie has yet to be announced, as does a premiere date.
The submarine was missing for four days before the US coastguard found debris from the submersible near the site of the Titanic shipwreck and the voyagers were confirmed dead.
They were: British adventurer Hamish Harding; father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood; Rush and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
While rescue operations were still ongoing, Channel 5 aired a documentary about the missing submersible, titled Titanic Sub: Lost at Sea, drawing uneasy reactions from viewers.
The Canadian filmmaker, 68, has visited the wreck of the Titanic 33 times and has been outspoken about the loss of the OceanGate sub.
“I don’t respond to offensive rumours in the media usually, but I need to now,” he tweeted at the time. “I’m NOT in talks about an OceanGate film, nor will I ever be.”
