National Geographic has announced Academy Award-nominated actor Will Smith as the host of its new 10-episode global event series One Strange Rock, from fellow Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and award-winning producer Jane Root.
Smith made the official announcement on his Facebook page with a short teaser video. With Smith guiding viewers on an epic journey across the globe and into outer space, One Strange Rock promises to be a thrilling, mind-bending trip within and beyond planet Earth, affirming that there really is no place like home.
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One Strange Rock is the story of Earth and why it is special and uniquely brimming with life among a largely unknown but harsh cosmic arena. Anchoring the series is an elite group of astronauts who see Earth’s bigger picture; they provide unique perspectives and relate personal memoirs of our planet seen from space.
“I am thrilled to have Will Smith on board to guide our series,” Aronofsky said. “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,” says Tim Pastore, president, original programming and production, 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 said. “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?”
Adding to Smith’s appeal, One Strange Rock’s astronauts bring singular insight and emotion to the narrative, weaving dramatic, inspiring sequences and science to reveal the magical twists of fate that allowed life on Earth to emerge, thrive and survive. Their personal experiences are portals to vital themes explored throughout the series, including the genesis of life, death, breath, cosmic violence, human intelligence, sacrifice, terraforming and more.
The Nutopia and Protozoa Pictures series is slated to premiere globally on National Geographic in March 2018 in 172 countries and 43 languages.
