EXCLUSIVE: Mark Gordon Pictures has acquired the rights Stephen McGinty’s forthcoming book, The Dive with plans to develop as a feature film and has tapped Edward Hemming to adapt. Mark Gordon and Beth Pattinson will produce for Mark Gordon Pictures.
“I’m delighted to be working with Mark, Beth and Ed as they adapt The Dive into a movie,” McGinty said. “The story of the rescue of Pisces III is one of the great tales of ocean adventure: when a band of blue-collar workers from Canada, America and Britain pulled together to rescue two men from a crushing depth never attempted before. I’ve long been an admirer of Mark’s extensive filmography – from Saving Private Ryan and Speed to Steve Jobs and Molly’s Game and feel confident that The Dive is now in the best possible hands.”
Based on a true story, The Dive recounts the harrowing rescue of two men trapped aboard the Pisces III, a crippled submarine sent tumbling to the ocean floor while on a routine dive to fix the Atlantic telecommunication cable. For three days in the summer of 1973, the world held its breath as a hastily assembled flotilla or rescue ships from both sides of the Atlantic raced against time to bring the men back from the jaws of defeat to the sun-dappled surface.
“From the opening pages of Stephen’s book it was immediately obvious that this was a story that needed to be told on screen,” Pattinson said. “Not only is it breathtakingly tense but it’s also a deeply emotional story both about the men submerged and those frantically trying to save them. We couldn’t be more delighted that Stephen has allowed us to adapt his work and that Ed has come on board to adapt. They both bring a wealth of experience and we couldn’t be more excited to go on this journey with them.”
The Dive will be published by HarperCollins in the UK and Pegasus Books in the US on June 10, 2021.
“Mark, Beth and Stephen are among the very best at what they do. I am thrilled by the opportunity to tell this remarkable story, based on Stephen’s breathtaking account of the Pisces III rescue, and delighted to work with such an extraordinary creative team,” said Hemming.
McGinty previous books include This Turbulent Priest, Churchill’s Cigar, Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster and Camp Z: How MI5 Cracked Hitler’s Deputy. He is the co-producer of the BAFTA-winning documentaries Fire in the Night, based on his book, and Dunblane: Our Story. McGinty is represented by the BKS Agency.
Hemming is best known for serving as a writer and story editor for the first three seasons of Netflix’s critically acclaimed series, The Crown. Hemming is represented by Independent Talent, Grandview, and CAA.
Other literary works currently in development at Mark Gordon Pictures include Calla Henkel’s debut novel, Other People’s Clothes, Norman Mailer’s American spy epic, Harlot’s Ghost, and Anthony’s Quinn’s Curtain Call from Academy Award-nominated scribe Patrick Marber starring Colin Firth and Gemma Arterton. Additional projects in development include a biopic on Fallon Fox, the MMA’s first openly transgender athlete, Marked Man based on the life of Marcus Garvey for Amazon, The Flag Makers, a documentary feature that explores the nation’s largest American flag factory where nearly every employee is a refugee or immigrant, and the live filming of the Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away for Apple TV+, which Gordon first optioned the rights to after seeing the original stage production in previews. Upcoming releases include Awake for Netflix, Lionsgate’s Die in a Gunfight starring Alexandra Daddario and Diego Boneta, and Amazon’s All the Old Knives based on Olen Steinhauer’s bestselling novel starring Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine.