And what could be more terrifying than a disaster of this magnitude, striking in the middle of the sea where help, if it comes, would be hours away?
“Rogue waves exist,” states Petersen, who has long considered water “the most dangerous, dramatic and unpredictable of elements,” and was aware of the phenomenon prior to embarking on Poseidon. Once the stuff of maritime legend, these veritable walls of water, as reported by eyewitnesses, have come under scientific observation only in recent years via ESA (European Space Agency) satellite technology. Long suspected but unproven as the cause of countless ocean disasters, they are now confirmed responsible for damage to cruise liners and off-shore oil rigs since the 1990s when serious research began.
Radar reports from one North Sea oil field indicate nearly 500 rogue wave assaults in the past 12 years and, more gravely, the ESA suggests they could be the cause behind many of the 200 supertankers and cargo ships sunk in the last 20 years, generally attributed to severe weather. One notable example is the 43,000-ton München, overturned in the Atlantic in 1978 with no survivors. In 1995 the cruise liner Queen Mary 2 was luckier, narrowly surviving an encounter with an estimated 95-foot wave during a hurricane. While scientists cite strong currents as one likely origin of these monsters, focusing natural oceanic flow into a single force, there are also incidents of rogue waves that develop in the absence of strong currents, literally out of nowhere.
Producer Duncan Henderson, a 2004 Oscar nominee for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, teams here with Petersen for the third time after sharing producing duty on Outbreak and The Perfect Storm. He notes that, unlike Petersen’s other two seafaring dramas, Poseidon marks the first time a disaster catches its victims completely unprepared. “The submarine crew of Das Boot were military and the fisherman in The Perfect Storm were professionals who had sailing experience so even though they weren’t prepared for the dire circumstances they ended up facing, at least they went into it with some expectation of risk. But Poseidon is a cruise ship. These are tourists like you and me. Not only is the scope of this tragedy much larger, it involves a group of people who are the least equipped to anticipate or deal with it.”
Screenwriter Mark Protosevich (The Cell) crossed the Atlantic himself on the Queen Mary 2 in preparation for his work on Poseidon. He found both passengers and crew to be a diverse mix of ages, nationalities and backgrounds, supporting Petersen’s assertion that “disasters are great equalizers. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, if you’re the richest person in the world or if you’re working in the kitchen; you’re all in it together.”
“This kind of crisis brings out our essential selves, the very best and the very worst, says Protosevich. “Relationships are tested and emotional bonds will be either strengthened or severed. If someone you love shows cowardice you will never forget it, but if they are willing to risk their own life for the sake of others you will never forget that either. The potential for heroism lies in each of us; whether or not we choose to act on it defines who we are.”
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