It was a major catastrophe that captured the attentions and the eyes of the world. Thirty-three Chilean miners were trapped nearly 200 stories beneath the surface of the Earth after an explosion caused a shaft to collapse. Their survival tactics, and the ensuing rescue mission, was the stuff of movie superstardom, and now, Hollywood’s ready to deliver.
Warner Bros. just posted the latest full trailer for Patricia Riggen’s melodramatic rescue-mission thriller The 33, which looks to tell the story of the men buried at the bottom of the gold and copper mine shaft, as well as of the brave souls who fought so hard to bring them back to the surface. The new look at the upcoming drama does seem to hit hard on the buttons of audience manipulation. One crew member receives news that he can retire in two weeks. Antonio Banderas’ character is going to be a father, and is discussing the sex of his unborn child with his wife. And Lou Diamond Phillips gets a brief speech (which you know will be longer in the movie) about how he is responsible for the safety of these workers! We got it, guys. You didn’t WANT the disaster to happen. It just did.
The cast for The 33, though, has us preparing for the best. In addition to Banderas and Phillips, director Patricia Riggen (Girl In Progress, the TV movie Lemonade Mouth) has recruited Cote de Pablo, Rodrigo Santoro, James Brolin, Juliette Binoche, Oscar Nunez, Naomi Scott and Gabriel Byrne for the sentimental drama. And the best part is that we know that there’s a happy ending waiting for us at the theater later this year.
In addition to the trailer, Warner released a stirring one-sheet poster for The 33:
And an official synopsis:
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."
The 33 opens in theaters on November 13, just in time for the family to see it over the Thanksgiving weekend. Will you check it out?
