Chilean miners: From the shadows to silver screen, Brad Pitt may helm film!

Brad Pitt may helm Chilean miners film

Actor's company said to be in talks on exclusive deal which could see some of the rescued men given roles

• Xan Brooks
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 November 2010 19.43 GMT
• Article history

The last miner to be rescued, Luis Urzúa, may see his and fellow miners' underground trials and tribulations put to film. Photograph: Reuters

It was hailed as the ultimate tale of triumph against the odds, a tribute to human fortitude that climaxed with a miraculous rescue that played out live on TV screens across the globe. But if you thought that the drama of the 33 trapped Chilean miners had safely run its course, think again. "Los 33" now look set for a new lease of life, courtesy of a big-budget Hollywood motion picture.

Reports from Chile suggest that Brad Pitt is in pole position to oversee the survivors' trip from the shadows to the cinema. The Santiago-based newspaper El Mercurio claims that Pitt's production company, Plan B, has made a multimillion-dollar offer to secure the exclusive screen rights to the survivors' tale. According to Edgardo Reinoso, the lawyer representing the miners' interests, several of the rescued men may also be given supporting roles in the picture.