Gabriel Byrne Comes Up With A Way To Rescue "The 33"

Gabriel Byrne has joined the cast of "The 33" the English-language film about the 2010 Copiapó mining accident and rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for over two months says Deadline.

The story chronicles the events surrounding the mine's collapse and the subsequent rescue attempts, both from the miners' perspective and those of the families and rescuers above.

Byrne will play Andre Sougarretwas the engineering genius who masterminded the miraculous rescue.

Martin Sheen will play a miner’s father. Antonio Banderas is playing the role of Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic miner nicknamed “Super Mario” and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro plays a trapped miner. Juliette Binoche replaces Jennifer Lopez who dropped out due to "American Idol" commitments. Former "NCIS" co-star  Cote de Pablo will play a wife of one of the trapped miners. Her scenes will be shot in the Atacama Desert near where the actual event took place.

James Brolin, Oscar Nunez Kate Del Castillo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mario Casas, Juan Pablo Raba, Tenoch Huerta, Jacob Vargas,  Marco Treviño  and Alejandro Goic also star.

Mikko Alanne and Jose Rivera wrote the script from which Patricia Riggen will direct.

Mike Medavoy, Edward McGurn and Bernard Williams are producing.

Production is currently underway in Chile and Colombia.