Netflix is creating a new biopic, which will be based on Australian solo-sailing icon Jessica Watson’s memoir “True Spirit.”
Jessica Watson proved anything really is possible when she cruised into Sydney Harbour after 210 days, sailing around the world solo and unassisted. Incredibly, she engraved her name in history, becoming the youngest person ever to voyage around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted.
The then 16-year-old Watson departed in October 2009 in her Ella’s Pink Lady Yacht and spent 210 days solo navigating around the southern hemisphere and surviving extreme challenges at sea before touching down in Sydney, in May 2010.
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During her solo voyage at sea, the young Australian self-filmed a documentary ‘210 Days,’ which is narrated by Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.
And now, the 27-year-old Watson’s successful yacht expedition is set to be chronicled in Netflix’s upcoming feature film. Around the Block filmmaker, Sarah Spillane will write and direct the biopic while the Sunstar Entertainment, Sydney-based talent management and film production company, will produce the feature film.
We're excited to bring the story of Aussie trailblazer Jessica Watson (@watsonjessica) to the world! At 16, she became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the globe. A film adaptation of her bestselling memoir #TrueSpirit is coming to Netflix. pic.twitter.com/cMrjQCta49
— Netflix ANZ (@NetflixANZ) July 15, 2020
The new Netflix biopic will be based on Watson’s best-selling memoir ‘True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took on the World,’ which she penned down in 2010.
Watson, who now lives in Melbourne, said in a statement:
“It’s quite humbling to have Netflix bring my story to life. I hope that the film inspires people around the world to try sailing and to also pursue their own adventures.”
Producer Andrew Fraser told in a statement:
“True Spirit has been Sunstar’s passion project. We have waited a long time for the stars to align and for us to feel comfortable that the right ingredients were present to do justice to Jessica’s achievement.”
He added:
“Our partnership with Netflix will ensure Jessica’s epic story is shared with a global audience, as it deserves to be.”
However, the actor who will play the titular role of Watson in the film is not known at this stage.
Watson left on her solo-journey at sea on 18 October 2009, crossing the equator in the Pacific Ocean and then the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Three days for her 17th birthday, she returned and cruised into Sydney Harbour on 15 May 2010.
After completing the voyage, Watson was declared her a ‘national hero’ by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. She was honored with Young Australian of the Year in 2011 and named an Order of Australia Medal the following year.
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In 2018, Watson authored a fiction debut titled ‘Indigo Blue’ that combines friendship, romance, and sailing with magical realism.
The renowned Australian sailor is the daughter of New Zealander couple Julie and Roger Watson, who moved to Australia in 1987. She grew up with her three siblings: Hannah, Emily, and Tom. She has dual Australian and New Zealand citizenship.
