The successful rescue operation in a Thai cave 

Of course you know the miraculous story of 12 young football players and their coach, who became trapped in a Thai cave (Tham luang cave) and were then rescued from their plight in a large-scale rescue operation.

 
On the internet you will find countless websites with stories, conversations, videos about this initial drama, which eventually ended well and became “The greatest story ever told”.

A year ago

It has been a year since the whole world sympathized with the trapped boys and the rescuers, but the hunger for more news and more stories about the Thai cave adventure seems insatiable. Whether that interest is indeed there is the question, because I rather think that many media people still see money in another story, another book, another film or another documentary.

Media projects

Just a selection of media projects that zoom in on the cave story:

• On the bookshelf – At least three books have already been published “The Great Cave Rescue”, “The Boys in the Cave” and “Rising Water”. Australian dive doctors Craig Challen and Richard Harris, who helped the “Wild Boars” team before being extracted, will release “Against All Odds” in November. I do not know whether there will be a Dutch translation of all these books.

• On the movie screen – A first movie “The Cave” is expected to be released later this year from the Thais-Irish filmmaker Tom Waller. The film is expected to premiere in Thailand as early as September.

Also in the pipeline is a Netflix production from the producers of “Crazy Rich Asians”. Team members were reportedly paid $100.000 each, though Netflix declined to comment on the terms of the deal and access to interviews is now tightly controlled.

National Geographic also has a documentary about The Cave in the pipeline.

• On television and social media – The boys will regularly appear on television as a team or individually at all kinds of events. The most recent is their visit to Los Angeles, where they were hosted by star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team and performed on a TV show. They will live "forever" as the cave boys.

Finally

Of course I followed the rescue operation closely, but I don't really need to read that again in a book or relive it through a movie. I hope for the boys that they come out well socially and psychologically, but to be honest I fear the worst. Another wish is that the drama may give impetus to the resolution of stateless citizens in Thailand.