Will Smith to Host Nat Geo Series from Darren Aronofsky & Jane Root

Will Smith has signed on to host the new global event series One Strange Rock, from filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and producer Jane Root (America: The Story of Us), for National Geographic.

The series, produced by Nutopia and Protozoa Pictures, is slated to premiere globally on National Geographic in March 2018 in 172 countries and 43 languages. One Strange Rock tells the story of Earth and is anchored by a group of astronauts that includes Chris Hadfield, Jeff Hoffman, Mae Jemison, Jerry Linenger, Mike Massimino, Leland Melvin, Nicole Stott and Peggy Whitson. The astronauts offer unique perspectives and personal stories about Earth as seen and experienced from outer space.

Aronofsky said, “I am thrilled to have Will Smith on board to guide our series. His charisma, intelligence and humanity will add greatly to the project, helping welcome viewers into this unique narrative about the mind-blowing wonders that make life on Earth possible.”

“By pairing the incomparable, out-of-this-world, global appeal of Will Smith with our rock-star astronauts, who literally went out of this world, we tell the incredible story of the complexities of our planet,” added Tim Pastore, the president of original programming and production at National Geographic. “With the distinctive storytelling from Aronofsky and Root, One Strange Rock will be an incredible visual treat, taking audiences from the microscopic to the cosmic, leaving viewers to see and appreciate our planet as never before.”

“Our goal here is to reimagine factual programming and give viewers a cinematic spectacle like they have never seen before,” Root commented. “We’ll unpack the science behind our marvelous planet, and provide stories that are entertaining and provocative; and who better to do that with than the visionary Darren Aronofsky and his partners at Protozoa Pictures, the incomparable Will Smith and our team of legendary astronauts?”