Nat Geo Unveils Titanic Special, Leonardo DiCaprio Scripted Series

Among the new titles unveiled at National Geographic’s TCA presentation were a Titanic 20th anniversary documentary special from James Cameron and a scripted adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s best seller The Right Stuff.

National Geographic signed a scripted development deal with Appian Way Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television, to adapt The Right Stuff into a scripted series. The project is from executive producers Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson, with Will Staples (Call of Duty, Shooter) serving as writer and executive producer. Michael Hampton of Appian Way shepherded this project. The Right Stuff takes a gritty, anti-nostalgic look at what would become America’s first reality show, as these obsessive astronauts and their families become instant celebrities in a competition that will either kill them or make them immortal. The series will use the book as a starting point, featuring a mission for each season, with season one beginning at the height of the Cold War in 1958. The project marks the second collaboration between National Geographic and Appian Way, following last fall’s release of the critically acclaimed climate-change documentary Before the Flood.

Cameron, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, is working on a one-hour documentary event special to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the blockbuster film Titanic. Titanic: 20th Anniversary will premiere this December on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages.

National Geographic Documentary Films is prepping Diana: In Her Own Words, which weaves archival footage and photography with rarely heard recordings of Diana herself. It is being executive produced by acclaimed filmmaker Tom Jennings of 1895 Films (Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, MLK: The Assassination Tapes). The doc will debut on August 14 at 9 p.m. on National Geographic.

Nat Geo is working with Martha Raddatz and Lincoln Square Productions on a documentary special that is a companion to the network’s upcoming drama The Long Road Home, based on the New York Times best seller from Raddatz. The doc will tell the story of how the First Cavalry Division came under surprise attack in Sadr City on April 4, 2004—now known as “Black Sunday.” The Long Road Home scripted series and its companion documentary special will air globally in November 2017 on National Geographic in 440 million homes in 171 countries and in 45 languages.

National Geographic and Nike Inc. have teamed up for the global documentary Breaking2 (working title), chronicling the journey of three of the world’s most elite distance runners as they set out to break the two-hour marathon barrier. National Geographic Studios, in association with Dirty Robber, produce the film. Breaking2 will have its broadcast premiere this September on National Geographic in the U.S. and Europe and be made available globally on digital platforms.

The network is honoring the life and legacy of Dian Fossey in the upcoming three-part special Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist. The story promises new insights into her Fossey’s murder and her battle to save the greatest primate on Earth. Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist is currently in production and will air globally on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages later in 2017.