Another ripped-from-the-headlines drama is coming to theaters later this year, now that The 33 has been set for a November bow. The Patricia Riggen-directed survival drama is a retelling of the August 5, 2010 cave-in in San José, Chile, that trapped 33 miners 2,300 feet beneath the ground, seemingly sealing their fates. The ensuing media firestorm, and the miners’ ultimate rescue, made the story huge worldwide.
The first trailer for The 33 plays to its strengths – this is a harrowing true tale powered by some exemplary performers. It doesn’t take long for the preview to impart the stomach-churning terror of the disaster, which looks like it’s going to be absolutely terrifying to witness on the big screen. The use of a commercial song like A Great Big World’s “Say Something” feels like an unnecessary touch, but the studio is clearly positioning this as an awards contender and wants to make sure audiences to buy it as an inspirational story of survival against the odds.
Antonio Banderas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, Gabriel Byrne, Juan Pablo Raba and Kate del Castillo all take on starring roles in The 33, which opens November 13.
From Alcon Entertainment and Phoenix Pictures comes the unforgettable true story of “The 33.”
In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked night and day in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people globally, waited and watched anxiously for any sign of hope. But 200 stories beneath the surface, in the suffocating heat and with tensions rising, provisions—and time—were quickly running out.
A story of resilience, personal transformation and triumph of the human spirit, the film takes us to the Earth’s darkest depths, revealing the psyches of the men trapped in the mine, and depicting the courage of both the miners and their families who refused to give up.
Based on the gripping true story of survival—and filmed with the cooperation of the miners, their families and their rescuers—“The 33” reveals the never-before-seen actual events that unfolded, above and below ground, which became nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon.