The OceanGate ‘Titan’ Disaster Is Getting a Film Adaptation — But Viewers Are Pissed
An upcoming OceanGate film adaptation will give the Titan the Titanic treatment. But when is it too soon to make a movie about a tragic event? Within the first year or the first decade? According to one film studio, three months feels like ample time to allow families to grieve a massive loss. Not everyone on social media agrees. Following news that a film studio was prepped and ready to create a fictionalized, live-action movie based on the OceanGate Titan disaster, people sounded off on social media, and they were pretty pissed.
What is the OceanGate Titan submersible disaster?
The OceanGate Titan was a submersible owned by Oceangate. The submersible embarked on a voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic on June 18, 2023. After it began its descent, the submersible’s support vessel, lost contact with the crew.
After the submersible failed to resurface at its expected time, the crew of the MV Polar Prince alerted authorities. A search mission was launched immediately, but hope for a safe retrieval of the crew diminished over time. On June 22, it was announced that the OceanGate Titan had imploded.
All five people on board were killed, including OceanGate Founder Stockton Rush. Also on board were Hamish Harding, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. While an official cause for the disaster has not been made public, experts have speculated that the lightweight material used for the vessel was not strong enough to stand up to the immense pressure of the deep sea.
There will be an OceanGate film about the Titan submersible
In September 2023, Deadline reported that a live-action OceanGate film about the disaster was in the works. According to the publication, MindRiot Entertainment has plans to create both a docuseries about the Titan submersible disaster and a fictionalized movie about the events. Writers for the script had already been secured.
While news about the missing submersible and its eventual discovery gripped the world for days in June, social media users were absolutely disgusted by the announcement that a fictional movie on the events would be made so soon. Several social media users chimed in to say that the plan was the epitome of “too soon.” Others criticized the film industry’s unrelenting desire to cash in on tragedies. Many X and Reddit users insisted they would avoid the flick, whether it came to a streaming platform or theaters.
Would an OceanGate Titan docuseries be better?
Not everyone is ready to boycott the OceanGate film. Still, plenty of people agree that a live-action movie is absolutely the wrong move. Instead, several social media users argued that they’d be willing to watch the docuseries on the disaster. They would be especially interested if it were to explore the mistakes and missteps that led to the tragedy.
A fictionalized version of the disaster feels crass, especially as the project’s announcement came just a few short months after the submersible imploded close to the Titanic wreckage it was set to explore. A fictionalized movie feels like cashing in on the disaster and doesn’t feel particularly respectful of the families grieving those lost in the catastrophe.
On the other hand, a documentary could offer further insight into what happened and why it happened. The difference between the two projects is simple. A fictional movie is created strictly for entertainment, which feels far too exploitative. A docuseries would, ideally, aim to educate the masses on the disaster.
In recent years, streaming service platforms have made documentaries more accessible than ever before, and many new viewers have begun exploring the film genre. We could see an OceanGate film documentary topping the most-watched charts.
