In a move that's sure to convince people to buy 4K TVs, Variety reports that Netflix is now collaborating with the creators of the popular Planet Earth documentaries to release a massive nature series in 2019. Titled Our Planet, the eight-episode series will explore the natural world, making it the streaming giant's most ambitious documentary project to date.
In case you haven't bought a 4K TV by 2019
Netflix is teaming up with the World Wildlife Fund and Silverback Films, the production company behind Planet Earth for the BBC, as well as Disney's slate of wildlife-focused documentaries like Chimpanzee and African Cats. The company's pedigree certainly proceeds it; Planet Earth was nominated for a BAFTA and won a Primetime Emmy back in 2007, and is recognized as one of the best nature documentaries ever made.
The move should, of course, come as no surprise, since Netflix has shown an increased interest in prestige documentary filmmaking in recent years. The company earned two Oscar nominations in a row for 2013's The Square, which showed the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and 2014's Virunga, the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced film about park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, a high-profile documentary about singer Nina Simone is due to debut for streaming audiences later this year.