‘Younger, thinner and better looking’: Joel Edgerton to play hero Aussie cave diver Dr Richard Harris in Thirteen Lives

Hollywood stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton will film Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives on the Gold Coast next week after completing hotel quarantine in Sydney.

Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton are the latest Hollywood stars moving into Queensland.

The big-name trio lead the stellar ensemble cast of Ron Howard’s new Gold Coast-based movie Thirteen Lives, which will depict the 2018 Thai Cave rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach.

Mortensen and Farrell will play Rich Stanton and John Volanthen respectively – the pair of British cave divers who found the soccer team alive on an elevated rock in the cave system – while Edgerton will portray Dr Richard Harris, the Australian anaesthetist and cave diver who was jointly awarded 2019 Australian of the Year as a result of his part in the rescue.

Joel Edgerton will star in Ron Howard’s movie Thirteen Lives. Picture: Nikki Short

He will play Dr Richard Harris, the Australian who was pivotal to the Thai cave rescue in 2018.

“I am excited about Joel. I think he is a great actor, and he is younger, thinner and better looking than me,” Dr Harris told Confidential.

A spokeswoman for the film confirmed cast members were currently completing their mandatory 14-day quarantine, believed to be in Sydney, before cameras are due to roll on the Gold Coast on March 29.

The cast are communicating with Howard’s team from quarantine and will be training in Queensland this week leading up to filming.

Other cast members are due to arrive in the second week of April.

Colin Farrell will also star in the film. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

As will Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen. Picture: Valerie Macon / AFP

Tom Bateman, Paul Gleeson and Lewis Fitz-Gerald will play other key members of the rescue team. Thai actor Teeradon “James” Supapunpinyo is cast as the boys’ coach “Ek” Ekkaphon Chanthawong, and Weir Sukollawat as former Thai navy SEAL Saman Kunan, who died during the rescue mission.

The film will use hundreds of Queensland-based extras while local crew members have also been offered opportunities on the project.

Howard shared a photo to Instagram during the week showing the cave set currently under construction at the Gold Coast studio.