BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,
July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Of all the planets in our solar system, none has captured our
collective imagination like Mars — a mysterious, indelible part of
our zeitgeist. And now National Geographic Channel (NGC); Academy
Award- and Emmy-winning producers Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and
Michael Rosenberg of Imagine
Entertainment; and Justin Wilkes and
Dave O'Connor of RadicalMedia have
joined forces to launch us into outer space with the global event
series Red Planet.
Slated to premiere on the National Geographic Channel in 171
countries and 44 languages in 2016, Red
Planet — which is set in 2032 and the present day — will
be a unique hybrid of scripted and unscripted elements. The series
will tell the epic story of the thrilling quest to colonize Mars
and the first manned mission in 2032 with dramatic scripted drama
and feature film-caliber visual effects, intercut with documentary
verité and interviews from present-day scientists and innovators
who are leading the research and development of space technology,
preparing the way for our 2032 mission.
"With Imagine and RadicalMedia, we plan to tell a deeply human
story of the first manned mission to Mars, that is cinematic in
both scope and storytelling," said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic
Channels. "We hope to spark the curiosity of viewers by not only
transporting them to another planet, but by embedding them with
today's leaders who are revolutionizing space technology."
"We stand on the grandest stage of all time — the dark void of
interplanetary space — with the brightest 21st century visionaries
to light our way," said Grazer. "By blending awe-inspiring imagery
and narrative with present-day footage and interviews, we hope that
Red Planet will change the
way we see our place in the cosmos and the mysteries that lie
beyond."
"As humans, we possess boundless curiosities and an unparalleled
spirit of adventure," said Howard. "These intrepid explorers —
following in the footsteps of pioneers before them — will spark our
imaginations as we weave together the stories of both the past and
the present Mars visionaries, along with the historical perspective
on Mars."
"How we'll get to Mars, why we're going and what happens when we
get there are questions playing out in the minds of today's
greatest innovators, technologists and dreamers," added
RadicalMedia President Wilkes. "Our cameras will be there to
capture the cutting-edge technology, design, science and ideas at
the cusp of transforming not only Mars, but our own world as
well."
Red Planet will be
produced by Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia for NGC. For
Imagine Entertainment, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Michael Rosenberg will be executive producers.
For RadicalMedia, Justin Wilkes and
Dave O'Connor will be executive
producers. For NGC, Robert Palumbo
will be executive producer; Matt
Renner is vice president, production; Alan Eyres is senior vice president,
development; and Tim Pastore is
president, original programming & production.
About National Geographic Channels
Based at the
National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic
Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox
Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic
Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education
with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly
support its mission. Launched in January
2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth
anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and
natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in
2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo
Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of
the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers,
with NGC currently available in more than 90 million U.S. homes.
Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440
million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more
information, visit www.natgeotv.com.
About Imagine
Imagine Entertainment was founded in
1986 by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to create independently
produced feature films, television programs and other original
programming. Imagine Entertainment has been honored with more than
60 prestigious awards including 10 Academy Awards and 36 Emmy
awards. Past productions include Academy Award Best Picture
winner A Beautiful Mind, 8
Mile, Apollo 13, American Gangster, The Da
Vinci Code, 8 Mile, Liar, Liar,
Backdraft, and Parenthood to name a
few. Upcoming films include Get on
Up and In The Heart of the
Sea. Television productions include NBC's
Parenthood, NBC's Friday Night Lights,
Fox's 24 and 24: Live Another Day,
Fox's and Netflix's Arrested
Development, Fox's Gang Related, as well
as HBO's From the Earth to the Moon, for which Howard
and Grazer won the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series. Current
television productions include Fox's Empire. Ron
Howard and Brian Grazer began their collaboration in 1985 with the
hit comedies Night Shift and Splash,
and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as chairmen.
About RadicalMedia
Since 1993, RadicalMedia has
produced numerous films and television programs that tell nuanced,
multi-faceted stories including: the Academy Award and Independent
Spirit Award-winning documentary The Fog of War; Academy
Award nominated documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory;
Grammy-winning Concert for George; Under African
Skies, the Emmy Award-winning documentary examining the making
of the groundbreaking and controversial Paul Simon record Graceland; The Ron
Howard-helmed, Jay-Z documentary, Made In America;
The United States vs.
James J. Bulger, Joe Berlinger's latest film that chronicles the
trial of crime boss, Whitey Bulger; and the recent Liz Garbus documentary, What Happened,
Miss Simone? for Netflix.
Recent television credits include five seasons of the Emmy
nominated series, Oprah's Masterclass for OWN; six seasons
of Iconoclasts for Sundance
Channel; David Blaine:
Real of Magic for ABC; You Don't Know Bo for ESPN; the
Emmy nominated Park Bench with
Steve Buscemi for AOL; and the
Emmy-winning series 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed the
World for History Channel.
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SOURCE National Geographic Channel