Days after footage of the remarkable rescue of a shipwrecked Nigerian sailor went viral, LA-based Castlight Pictures has snapped up worldwide rights to the story.

Principals Mark Edwin Robinson and Dave Robinson announced the deal on December 5 in the wake of the extraordinary tale.

Harrison Okene, 29, survived for nearly three days in a four-feet air pocket in the belly of a sunken ship off the Nigerian coast last May before a team of specialised divers equipped with helmet cameras unexpectedly discovered him.

“We have been completely captivated by this story for months now while working with Harrison,” said Mark Edwin Robinson. “The intricate details of how this played out are so much more complex and phenomenal than anything that’s been reported thus far.

“The footage is just a glimpse of what happened, and we’re preparing to take this out to studios and financiers to tell the whole story from the perspective of those who were directly involved.”

“I feel strongly that this is an important story to tell, and am happy to be working with Mark and David,” said Okene.