Netflix Orders ‘Oceans’ Natural History Series From ‘Blue Planet II’ Creator

Henry Chu

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Netflix has ordered a multi-part natural history series on the world’s oceans from Freeborne Media, the production outfit of acclaimed natural-history producer James Honeyborne, who created “Blue Planet II.”

Each of the series’ episodes will focus on a different ocean, “combining the disciplines of oceanography, geography and earth sciences to experience these characteristics in new ways,” Netflix said in a statement. The series is the first project to spring from a multi-year deal signed by Freeborne with Netflix to create big-budget natural history programs.

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The streaming giant is delving more deeply into the natural history space. It has already released on its platform “Our Planet,” a multi-part wildlife series narrated by BBC stalwart and acclaimed naturalist David Attenborough. That blue-chip series, four years in the making, was filmed in 50 countries and investigated different habitats across the globe, including the deep sea.

“Oceans” (working title) will range “from the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean to the raging wildness of the Atlantic, from the deceptively peaceful waters of the Pacific that are surrounded by a ring of fire to the freezing isolation of the Southern and Arctic Oceans,” Netflix said. Production is to begin later this year.

Honeyborne served for years as an executive producer in the BBC’s natural history unit, where he oversaw the making of about 35 films, including “Blue Planet II” and “Africa.” He left to set up Freeborne Media with director Renee Godfrey, whose credits include “Tribe” and “Human Planet.”

The company is based in Bristol, England, the center of Britain’s wildlife filmmaking community.

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