Movie about the doomed OceanGate Titan submersible is in the works with The Blackening’s E. Brian Dobbins set to co-produce despite a huge backlash online
- The film, tentatively titled Salvaged, comes from the mind of one of the main producers of Black-ish, and will be set before, during, and after the tragedy
- A pair of relatively unknown writers have been pegged to craft the narrative, which serves as one installment of an upcoming slate of docuseries projects
- Other films in the work include a project based around Seattle’s underground rap scene, and another about various Girl Scouts troupes found across the globe
The Titan submersible tragedy that made headlines earlier this summer is set to be made into a motion picture.
The film, titled Salvaged, comes from the mind of one of the main producers behind Black-ish, and will cover periods before, during, and after the five-day tragedy.
A pair of relatively unknown writers have been pegged to craft the narrative, which serves as one installment of an upcoming slate of docuseries projects from the presiding studio.
Other films in the work include a project based around Seattle’s rising underground rap scene, and another about various Girl Scouts troupes across North America and abroad.
Salvaged, though – as its name might suggest – seeks to clean up any doubts about the tragedy, by providing a clean-cut narrative surrounding the five who died. It also comes on the heels of producer E Brian Dobbins’ most recent release, in The Blackening – a ‘black comedy’ slasher film that takes place on a Juneteenth weekend.
The film, tentatively titled Salvaged, comes from the mind of E Brian Dobbins, one of the main producers behind Black-ish, 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 who had been on board dead
Speaking to Deadline last week – just over three months after what was left of the imploded five-person sub was fished out of the Atlantic – one of the film’s writers likened the incident to another relatively recent tragedy that received a film spinoff.
‘The Titan tragedy is reminiscent of the space shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986,’ recalled MindRiot Entertainment’ Justin MacGregor, who in addition to being the film’s cowriter, works as the studio’s head of European content.
‘It’s a tragedy I’ll never forget,’ he continued of the Florida disaster that claimed an even worse seven lives.
The disaster he and cowriter Jonathan Keasey – the Washington state studio’s founder – are tasked with retelling is decidedly different, but shares some similarities.
For one, the Challenger explosion – like the unforeseen destruction of the Titan was retold just four years after the botched launch, a timeline that, three months removed from the Oceangate catastrophe, MindRiot is looking to mimic, and even accelerate.
Still in the early stages of preproduction, the film has yet to be given a release date, but if the studio’s other projects serve as any indicators, it should be expected with the next couple of years.
Dobbins – whose oeuvre includes shows like Mixed-ish and Grown, and films like the Matthew McConnaughey-led The Sea of Trees in 2015 and 2023’s White Men Can’t Jump – has yet to comment on the film, which was only announced Friday.
His other resident writer, Keasey, did have some choice words for Deadline about how he and MacGregor would approach the project – with the studio founder on Friday saying it will seek to address ‘a more macro concern about the nature of media today.’
Debris from the Titan submersible recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from a ship
Pictured: File photo of inside the OceanGate Expeditions sub which is currently missing with five people on board
A licensed lawyer-turned filmmaker, the relatively new writer said the unfinished film would also include more ‘nuance’ – and ‘not the salacious bait crammed down our throats by those seeking their five minutes of fame.’
He told the outlet: ‘The Titan Tragedy is yet another example of a misinformed and quick-to-pounce system, in this case, our nonstop, 24-7 media cycle that convicts and ruins the lives of so many people without any due process.
‘Our film will not only honor all those involved in the submersible tragedy, and their families, but the feature will serve as a vessel that also addresses a more macro concern about the nature of media today.’
He continued, without getting into specifics about the greater implications behind any of his assertions: ‘Truth is all that matters. And the world has a right to know the truth, always.’
The aspiring filmmaker – who also works as a professor at Seattle University – added: ‘Life is not black and white. It’s complicated. There’s nuance. Always nuance.’
The 21ft Titan lost contact with its mother ship June 18 as it descended roughly 12,500 feet toward the ocean floor – where pieces of the vessel were found by a remote-operated rescue submarine days later
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 story surrounding the Titan 5 became an international news story back in June, when the 21ft Titan lost contact with its mother ship June 18 as it descended roughly 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 depleting air, pieces of the vessel were found by a remote-operated rescue submarine near the wreck of the liner, marking an end to search and accompanying intrigue.
Legal experts say the implosion occurred ‘basically in a regulatory no man’s land’ and jurisdiction will be hard to establish both for the families and the investigations.
Any disputes relating to the waivers would likely be governed by the laws of the Bahamas, where OceanGate is registered – but families could also try to declare the waiver to be invalid in the US and bring a lawsuit there, or in their home countries.
Liability waivers – sometimes referred to as release forms – are typical before doing recreational activities that carry some measure of risk, such as sky diving or scuba diving.
By signing the document, passengers generally accept the risk and dangers related to the activity and if they are injured, absolve the company’s owner of liability.
An investigation into the Titan’s demise is still ongoing.
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