Produced by Silverback in Association With
All3Media International and Debuting in 2025, the Documentary
Special, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (WT), Highlights the Vital,
Achievable Actions the World Can Take To Restore the Ocean and
Stabilize the Climate
National Geographic announced today that it is partnering for
the very first time with the world’s preeminent natural historian,
Sir David Attenborough, on a feature-length documentary special
about the health of the world’s oceans. Presented and authored by
the 98-year-old broadcaster, DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN
(working title) will share with a global audience the story
of how we can, and must, restore the glory of Earth’s vast,
interconnected waters.
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From National Geographic and Silverback
and in association with All3Media International, documentary
special DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (WT) highlights the vital,
achievable actions the world can take to restore the ocean and
stabilize the climate, debuting in 2025. (Photo by Conor
McDonnell)
The film is being produced by Silverback with the backing of
All3Media International, Ocean Ten Media, Minderoo Productions,
National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Don Quixote ASBL and
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. In 2025, it will debut
in theaters before premiering globally on National Geographic and
streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
After nearly a hundred years filming every aspect of the natural
world, Attenborough delivers his most powerful message yet. In this
feature-length special, he draws on his lifetime of knowledge and
experience to take us on a journey of wonder through the planet’s
most spectacular undersea habitats, revealing that we are currently
living in the greatest age of ocean discovery, and showing beyond
doubt that it is the most important place on Earth. While
Attenborough exposes the biggest problems facing our ocean, his
story is one of hope, and that in front of us is an opportunity for
marine life to recover on a scale no one alive has ever seen
before.
Attenborough said, “My lifetime has coincided with the great age
of ocean discovery. Over the last hundred years, scientists and
explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations and
dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined
as a young man. In this film, we share those wonderful discoveries,
uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most
importantly, show how it can bounce back to life.”
Tom McDonald, National Geographic’s executive vice president of
Global Factual and Unscripted Content, said, “There is no one
better to deliver this landmark film than Sir David. I have had the
privilege and pleasure of working with him many times over the past
decade, and so I am, of course, personally and professionally
thrilled that he has agreed to work with National Geographic for
the very first time on a subject that is timely and close to his
heart.”
One of the world’s leading underwater cinematographers, Doug
Anderson (“Blue Planet” and “Our Planet”), will act as director of
underwater photography. Cameras will film across the Americas,
Europe, Africa and Oceania, capturing the practical and affordable
solutions to reversing harmful human activity along coral reefs,
mangroves, coastal communities, fish farms, marine sanctuaries and
many other habitats in order to return the ocean to its most
pristine and vibrant.
Audiences will see the timely film in 2025, midway through the
United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
(2021-2030). It is clear without doubt that we can only stabilize
the climate by restoring the ocean. DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
OCEAN (working title) will amplify the solutions that
are already at hand and ready to be immediately implemented to help
turn the tide.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: OCEAN (working title) will be
presented and authored by Sir Attenborough. The film is directed by
Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield and produced by
Nowlan for Silverback. Executive producers include Louise Pedersen
and Rachel Job for All3Media International, Tom McDonald and Janet
Han Vissering for National Geographic, Jasper Smith and Arksen Ltd
for 10% for the Ocean, Minderoo Productions Limited, Enric Sala for
National Geographic Society and Pristine Seas, Kristin Rechberger
for Dynamic Planet, Rolly van Rappard and Francoise van Rappard for
Don Quixote ASBL, and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco for The Prince
Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The film will debut in theaters in
2025 before premiering on National Geographic and streaming on
Disney+ and Hulu.
About National
Geographic
Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic
Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company
and the National Geographic Society, creates and delivers riveting
stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure and
exploration. The brand is the largest on social media with over
three quarters of a billion followers across all major platforms
that generate over one billion impressions each month. Inspiring a
deeper connection to the world, National Geographic Content reaches
300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages as a
digital, social and print publisher and across the global National
Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat
Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and
direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content
includes Emmy® Award-winning franchise Genius, series Life Below
Zero and Secrets of the Whales, and Oscar®- and BAFTA award-winning
film Free Solo. For more information, visit natgeotv.com or
nationalgeographic.com, or follow Nat Geo on Facebook, X,
Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
About Silverback
Silverback is an award-winning producer of exceptional wildlife
and environmental films for television, cinema, social media, and
major events. Comprising Silverback Films and Studio Silverback,
the Bristol-based production companies bring together an
unparalleled team of filmmakers dedicated to creating impactful
stories about the natural world. Their world-class cinematography,
ambitious storytelling, and commitment to pushing the boundaries of
natural history, sets them apart as industry leaders. Silverback
Films, part of the All3Media Group, was founded in 2012 by Alastair
Fothergill and Keith Scholey and has produced some of the most
successful nature TV shows and features ever created, earning
numerous BAFTA, EMMY, Royal Television Society, Grierson, Jackson
Hole, and Wildscreen Panda awards. Works include the Our Planet
series (Netflix), David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
(Netflix), The Hunt (BBC), The Mating Game (BBC), seven
Disneynature features, Wild Isles (BBC), and most recently Life on
Our Planet (Netflix). Studio Silverback, founded in 2020 by Colin
Butfield and Jonnie Hughes, is dedicated to producing environmental
content that reveals the urgent truths of our changing planet to a
global audience. Notable projects include a multi-year
collaboration with The Earthshot Prize, including last year’s live
awards show and 2021 documentary (BBC and Discovery+ USA), Sir
David Attenborough’s COP26 Opening Ceremony address to world
leaders, and Seat at The Table YouTube Originals series. For more
information, visit silverbackfilms.tv.
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Kristin Montalbano, National Geographic,
kristin.montalbano@natgeo.com Marcus Cammack, National Geographic,
marcus.cammack@natgeo.com Nadia Ahmadein, National Geographic,
nadia.ahmadein@natgeo.com