Gulf Oil Spill in 3-D: Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

(July 30) -- While a documentary on the gulf oil spill starring SpongeBob SquarePants will likely never see the light of day, the BP disaster is getting very real attention in filmmaking circles these days.

One of the most talked-about spill movies on the horizon is "The Singing Planet" by Louie Psihoyos, Oscar-winning director of "The Cove." In an interview with Momentum, Psihoyos said of his new project:

It's a film about the mass extinction of wildlife caused by humanity -- I think it's the biggest story out there right now. ... We'll be all over the world for that one -- the gulf, Polynesia, all over the Pacific, including Cocos and Galapagos, Europe and many places now being determined ..."

And yes, it will be filmed in mighty 3-D.

Psihoyos was a photographer for 35 years before shifting his attention to filmmaking and ocean conservation. The result was "The Cove," a documentary about annual mass killings of dolphins in Japan, which earned critical acclaim and won more than two dozen film awards.

But Psihoyos isn't the only notable name when it comes to lensing what many have called the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Surge Desk takes a look at the celebrities, academics and media organizations that have been linked to a spill film project, either real or rumored:

1. Brad Pitt
News media have reported that the movie star has talked to producers about his interest in making a film about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill -- which could be a natural fit given his community-restoration work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. However, Pitt's representative says the reports are false.

2. Stephen Baldwin
In May the actor took his gulf oil spill documentary, "The Will to Drill," to the Cannes Film Festival. The $1.5 million film examines the spill's impact on the people and the economy of the gulf region. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin said he wanted to "create the story of the impact, that then crescendos into motivating people to be proactive in their own choices."

The film is narrated by Kevin Costner, who got personally involved in spill cleanup efforts by investing $25 million in developing a centrifuge that separates the oil from water.

3. CBS's '60 Minutes'
The Australian version of "60 Minutes" filmed a mini-documentary that reported, among other things, that miles of BP's oil boom had broken free and washed inland. After the film aired in Australia on June 13, BP asked that it be removed from CBS's website -- and it was, though you can still view it online.

4. National Geographic
On May 27, the National Geographic Channel aired a documentary special on the gulf oil spill that showed never-before-seen footage of the first 36 hours of the Deepwater Horizon spill. There is also an interactive website where visitors can view photos, get in on the cleanup action, watch video clips and more.

5. University of Georgia marine sciences professor Samantha Joye
"Black and Blue: Beneath the Gulf Oil Disaster" aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting on July 21. It covers Joye's journey to the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent study of the oil spill's impact.