The Hollywood Reporter, in a January 14 article by Matthew Belloni, reported that Arent Fox is assisting the 33 Chilean miners – whose ordeal of being trapped underground for two months following a cave-in captured the attention of the world – in bringing their tale of survival and courage to the silver screen. The Hollywood Reporter writes:

Chilean Miners Bringing Big Pitch To Hollywood

The Chilean miners are going Hollywood.

Reps for the 33 mine workers rescued in October are putting the finishing touches on a unique pitch to sell rights to the dramatic saga that captured global attention. The miners have hired a team of lawyers who are finalizing a corporation that will collectively own book and movie rights to each miner’s story, positioning the group to potentially sell the whole package to a single media company for a lump sum. … Chile-based attorney Guillermo Carey says the 33 men have agreed to keep the key details of their ordeal secret until a buyer is found. “All the life story rights are vested in this company and we have not yet granted anyone the official rights to the story,” Carey says.

Carey and US attorneys at the Arent Fox law firm are polishing a pitch in the hopes of exploiting the rights across a broad swath of media. The miners might secure a book deal first, hoping to attract a well-known author to the project, and then option the book to a Hollywood studio for a film version. …

A six or possibly seven-figure book deal for the miners should be a slam dunk, say literary experts, as would be a made-for-TV movie. But one producer contacted by THR says a feature film might be a dicier proposition. “I’d need to see the details,” this producer says. “It’s a great story of perseverance and hope, but I don’t know if it’s a movie yet.” Another producer says it would be critical to attract a high-level author for the book, which could then lure an auteur director like Paul Greengrass or Danny Boyle to the material. … Carey is a partner in Carey y Cia, a Santiago-based law firm that specializes in intellectual property. Carey’s firm brought in Arent Fox attorneys Ricardo Fischer in Washington and Bela Lugosi in Los Angeles to help craft the strategy. The lawyers have had informal contact with a handful of showbiz agents but are looking to start more formal talks.