James Cameron had previously stated his reluctance to create a movie centered around the tragic events involving the OceanGate submersible. However, MindRiot Entertainment has now made an official announcement that they are indeed working on such a project.
The film, titled "Salvaged," was revealed by MindRiot on Friday, following their earlier announcement of an OceanGate docuseries with the same title earlier this month. E. Brian Dobbins, known for his work on "Black-ish," has joined as a co-producer, while Justin MacGregor and Jonathan Keasey from MindRiot will co-write the feature.
According to Deadline, the film will encompass various timeframes, including events leading up to the OceanGate submersible's dive to the Titanic wreck, the five-day rescue mission to save the passengers running out of oxygen, and the aftermath when the submersible imploded, tragically claiming all five lives.
The OceanGate's Titan submersible went missing after losing contact with the Canadian vessel Polar Prince just under two hours into its dive on June 18, approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This triggered an extensive search operation led by authorities in the United States and Canada. The wreckage of the submersible was eventually located on June 22 near the Titanic.
Jonathan Keasey expressed concerns about the rapid and often uninformed nature of today's media cycle, emphasizing the importance of truth and due process. He stated that their film would not only pay tribute to those involved in the submersible tragedy and their families but also address broader concerns about contemporary media.
Keasey stressed that the truth is paramount and that people have the right to know it, rather than being subjected to sensationalism for fleeting fame. As of now, there has been no confirmation from Keasey.
Cameron denies rumors about his involvement
In July, renowned director James Cameron, known for "Titanic," vehemently denied what he termed as "offensive" rumors about his involvement in an OceanGate film. He clarified his position on X (formerly Twitter) less than a month after the submersible wreckage was discovered. Cameron stated that he was not in talks to make a film about OceanGate and had no intentions of doing so.
Cameron, a respected figure in the diving community, had publicly mentioned his experience in designing vehicles capable of withstanding extreme depths, unlike the Titan submersible. He had also personally dived to the wreck of the Titanic 33 times and achieved a historic solo dive to the Challenger Deep, Earth's deepest known point, in 2012.
The tragedy hit close to home for Cameron, as one of his close friends, French Titanic explorer Paul-Henri "P.H." Nargeolet, was among the passengers who lost their lives in the Titan implosion.
Recently, at Beyond Fest, where an extended 171-minute special edition of Cameron's 1989 film "The Abyss" was screened, Cameron mentioned that the Titan submersible tragedy resurfaced in his thoughts while revisiting his film. In "The Abyss," a damaged submersible implodes after descending beyond its safe depth.
Cameron characterized the Titan submersible tragedy as a genuine tragedy but noted that the essence of the disaster lay in the failure to heed warnings. He emphasized that the OceanGate submersible's fate had not deterred him from continuing his deep-sea research, asserting his willingness to return to the submersible and explore the depths of the Challenger Deep.
