National Geographic has unveiled a slate of new unscripted greenlights, including the latest instalment in the brand’s award-winning One Day in… franchise.
Produced by 72 Films, Diana: One Day in Paris will revisit the tragic death of Princess Diana on the 30th anniversary of the Parisian car crash that took her life and that of her companion, Dodi al-Fayed, as their driver sought to elude pursuing paparazzi. The three-part docuseries will forensically examine the 24 hours before and after the crash via rare archive and witnesses who have never spoken before publicly on the topic, and follow the story through to Diana’s funeral one week later, which was watched by more than 2 billion people around the world.
The new series follows the previous franchise entries 9/11: One Day in America and JFK: One Day in America, as well as this year’s Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown, all from 72 Films.
Executive producers are David Glover and Mark Raphael for 72 Films, alongside T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay. Carolyn Payne is the executive producer for National Geographic.
Also on the way is the second entry in Nat Geo’s series of factual complements to parent company Disney’s animated hits.
Coming on the heels of A Real Bug’s Life, the new commission The Real Finding Nemo (w/t) takes inspiration from Pixar’s smash-hit underwater adventure as it explores the dynamics of life on the reef and beyond, chronicling the everyday jobs and miniature dramas of the denizens of this marine metropolis.
The Real Finding Nemo is produced by Freeborne Media (Our Great National Parks, Our Living World). James Honeyborne is executive producer, with Tracy Rudolph Jackson serving as executive producer for National Geographic.
Next up, Surviving Pompeii with Tom Hiddleston (w/t) sees the British actor continuing his collaboration with Kevin R. Wright, his executive producer on the Marvel series Loki, as he embarks on a new historical exploration of the catastrophic volcano eruption that destroyed the Roman city in 79 AD. Melding documentary and dramatic recreations, the series will bring to life the stories of the people whose lives intersected with the apocalyptic explosion, from the elite to ordinary citizens.
The series is produced by Plimsoll Productions, whose Grant Mansfield, Alan Eyres, Helen Flint and Tom Barbor-Might serve as executive producers alongside Hiddleston and Wright. Carolyn Payne is the executive producer for National Geographic.
Rounding out the new commissions is Meet the Planets (w/t, pictured), a collaboration between the BBC Studios Science Unit and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort prodco. Carrying on the cheeky approach of Reynolds’ previous Nat Geo collab Underdogs, the astronomy series will blend fascinating science with scripted comedy and original animation as its depicts the planets as an unruly family, with the sun as the reigning matriarch.
Executive producers on the series are Andrew Cohen for the BBC Studios Science Unit, and Betsy Forhan for National Geographic.
Overseeing all the titles on the new slate for Nat Geo are Bengt Anderson, SVP production; Charlie Parsons, SVP development; and Tom McDonald, EVP, global factual and unscripted content.