OceanGate Submersible Documentary In Works On Titan Disaster

A previously undisclosed documentary about the Titan submersible disaster is in post-production, with producers aiming for a 2025 debut at film festivals “and distribution across major platforms.”

Dirty Dozen Productions, working in collaboration with RadicalMedia, is behind the project, which is being directed by Aron Arngrimsson; according to a release, Arngrimsson “was the last person to see the Titan crew alive, closing the submersible hatch and waving the crew on its way.”

The OceanGate vessel piloted by company founder Stockton Rush and carrying five people including Stockton dipped below the waves of the North Atlantic in June 2023 on a mission to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. But within about 90 minutes of the dive, the submersible lost communications with the mother ship, triggering a desperate rescue mission that riveted the world’s attention. Four days later, a remotely operated underwater vehicle discovered the Titan wreckage and investigation revealed the craft had imploded on descent, instantly killing everyone on board.

“Arngrimsson captures the fateful journey through first-hand footage from the moment Titan began its tragic expedition and the unfolding aftermath minute by minute,” notes a release. “He exclusively tells the emotional experience of five Titan crew members, revealing the family stories behind the media headlines and exposing the painful consequences of an exploration gone wrong.”

The release continues, “The film will help viewers understand the motivations behind modern-day technical exploration while also reminding us of the risks. Through breathtaking never-before-seen footage, the audience will be able to experience first-hand what intrigued the Titan crew to embark on this dangerous journey, answering the question why people are drawn to the wonder and mystery of deep-sea exploration.”

The untitled Dirty Dozen-RadicalMedia film is not to be confused with two other projects about the Titan disaster – one a docuseries and the other a fictionalized adaptation. Those projects, both titled Salvaged, are being produced by MindRiot Entertainment.

The Arngrimsson documentary revealed today is being executive produced by Oscar winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove), and Brian Henderson for Dirty Dozen Productions, and executive produced by Emmy and Grammy winner Jon Kamen (Hamilton, Concert for George), and Emmy winner Dave Sirulnick (Hamilton) for RadicalMedia.

“We are committed to telling this important story with the thoroughness it deserves, through exclusive interviews with the Titan crew members and in the aftermath with the families,” Arngrimsson said in a statement. “Our goal is to reflect on the lives affected by this tragedy while providing crucial insights into walking the razor-thin line between success and failure.”

For Dirty Dozen Productions, the team includes Arngrimsson, director and producer; Geoff Creighton, director of photography and producer, and Antti Apunen, writer and producer. For RadicalMedia, Stacey Reiss serves as producer.

“The unprecedented access Aron had to the Titan crew, their families, and this story, was remarkable,” Reiss commented. “He was there, first-hand, experiencing all of this in real time. It was extremely important to us to tell this story authentically, given the tremendous media attention it received. We believe it’s critical for the world to understand the real story of Titan and the importance of modern-day ocean exploration.”

Titan had conducted multiple dives to the Titanic in the two years prior to the implosion, with OceanGate reportedly charging passengers up to a quarter-million dollars apiece. An investigation into the disaster is ongoing, but the Titan’s design and construction materials may have precipitated the catastrophic loss. Unlike other deep-dive submersibles, which use a spherical shape to evenly distribute intense pressure, the Titan was shaped like a pill to accommodate more passengers. Its hull was fashioned primarily out of carbon fiber, a material cheaper than titanium used in comparable vessels, but generally considered less sturdy than titanium.

Further, the New York Times reported several weeks after the implosion, “Titan’s carbon fiber cylinder was attached to titanium hemispheres, creating several joints of dissimilar materials that are challenging to bond properly.”

Filmmaker and ocean explorer James Cameron is among those who have vocally criticized OceanGate, calling the submersible’s design “critically flawed.” Cameron, who has visited the wreck of the Titanic 33 times and explored the Mariana Trench – the deepest point in the ocean — in a submersible of his own design, gave several interviews the day after the implosion, noting in one of them, “People in the deep-sea submergence engineering community warned [OceanGate] that this could lead to catastrophic failure.”

Cameron added, “I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet, he steamed up full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, and many people died as a result. And for a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded, to take place at the same exact site, with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing, it’s really quite surreal.”