The tragedy surrounding the submarine Titan, which made headlines at the beginning of the summer, is to be made into a film.
The film, titled Salvaged, is penned by one of Black-ish’s lead producers and covers periods before, during and after the five-day tragedy.
Two relatively unknown writers have been commissioned to create the narrative, which serves as part of an upcoming series of documentary projects from the lead studio.
Other films in the works include a project centered around the emerging underground rap scene in Seattle and another about various Boy Scout groups in North America and abroad.
However, “Salvaged,” as its name suggests, seeks to dispel any doubts about the tragedy by providing a clear narrative about the five who died. It also follows producer E. Brian Dobbins’ latest release in The Blackening, a “black comedy” slasher film set over a Juneteenth weekend.
The film, tentatively titled Salvaged, is penned by E. Brian Dobbins, one of Black-ish’s lead producers, and will cover periods before, during and after the tragedy.
A file photo of the Titan submersible before its doomed voyage to the Titanic wreck in June, which left five people on board dead
Speaking to Deadline last week – just over three months after the remains of the imploded five-person submarine were fished out of the Atlantic – one of the film’s writers compared the incident to another, relatively recent tragedy, the received a spin-off in a film.
“The Titan tragedy is reminiscent of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster,” recalls MindRiot Entertainment’s Justin MacGregor, who not only co-wrote the film but also serves as the studio’s head of European content.
“It’s a tragedy I’ll never forget,” he continued of the Florida disaster that killed seven more people.
The catastrophe that he and his co-writer Jonathan Keasey, the founder of the Washington State Studio, are tasked with retelling is markedly different but shares some similarities.
For one thing, the Challenger explosion – like the unforeseen destruction of the Titan – was retold just four years after the botched launch, a timeline that MindRiot aims to emulate and even accelerate three months after the Oceangate disaster.
The film is still in the early stages of pre-production and has not yet announced a release date, but if the studio’s other projects are any indication, it should be expected in the next few years.
Dobbins — whose credits include shows like “Mixed-ish” and “Grown,” as well as films like the 2015 Matthew McConnaughey-directed “Sea of Trees” and 2023’s “White Men Can’t Jump” — has yet to comment on the film, which was only announced on Friday.
His other writer-in-residence, Keasey, had some good words for Deadline about how he and MacGregor would approach the project – the studio founder said Friday that it would attempt to address “a more macro concern about the nature of media today.”
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the seabed near the Titanic wreck, is unloaded from a ship
Pictured: File photo from inside the OceanGate expedition submarine, currently missing with five people on board
The relatively new writer, a licensed attorney-turned-filmmaker, said the unfinished film would also contain more “nuance” — and “not the salacious bait shoved down our throats by those who want their five minutes of fame.” “
He told the outlet: “The Titan tragedy is another example of a misinformed and quick-to-react system, in this case our non-stop 24-hour media cycle, that condemns and ruins the lives of so many people without due process.” gives.” .
“Not only will our film honor all those involved in the underwater tragedy and their families, but the feature film will also serve as a vessel that addresses a more macro concern about the nature of today’s media.”
He continued, without elaborating on the larger implications of his claims: “All that matters is the truth. And the world has the right to always know the truth.”
The aspiring filmmaker, who also works as a professor at Seattle University, added: “Life isn’t black and white.” It’s complicated. There are nuances. Always nuanced.’
The 21-foot-long Titan lost contact with its mother ship on June 18 when it sank about 12,500 feet toward the ocean floor — where parts of the ship were found days later by a remotely operated rescue submarine
Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were on board the ill-fated Titan along with British billionaire Hamish Harding. All three are presumed dead after the ship imploded nearly 12,500 feet below the surface
French explorer PH Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush are among those trapped on the submersible
The Titan 5 story became an international headline back in June when the 21-foot-long Titan lost contact with its mother ship on June 18 as it sank about 12,500 feet toward the ocean floor.
Days later, after much speculation about the fate of the passengers and whether they were trapped in the hull with increasing air volume, parts of the ship were found by a remote-controlled rescue submarine near the wreckage of the liner, bringing an end to the search meant accompanying intrigue.
Legal experts say the implosion occurred “essentially in a regulatory no-man’s land” and that it will be difficult for both the families and the investigation to determine jurisdiction.
Any disputes surrounding the waivers would likely be governed by the laws of the Bahamas, where OceanGate is registered – but families could also seek to have the waiver invalidated in the U.S. and file a lawsuit there or in their home countries.
Liability waivers – sometimes called release forms – are typical for recreational activities that involve some degree of risk, such as skydiving or scuba diving.
By signing the document, passengers generally accept the risks and dangers associated with the activity and release the owner of the company from liability in the event of an injury.
An investigation into the Titan’s sinking is ongoing.