The Filmmakers Behind FREE SOLO Set Up Four Projects Including an Elite Adventure Athletes Series
The crazy directing team behind the incredible award-winning documentary Free Solo, E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, have set up four new projects at Nat Geo.
The projects they are working on include two feature documentaries, a ten-part series order, and a one-hour pilot. These projects will be produced by their production company Little Monster Films.
One of the feature documentaries is Thai Cave Rescue, and they will replace the previously announced director Kevin Macdonald. Thai Cave Rescue will tell the story of the Wild Boars youth soccer team who got trapped and their dramatic 2018 rescue.
The other feature doc they have lined up is Tompkins, which will tell the “story of conservationist and former CEO of Patagonia Kristine Tompkins and Tompkins Conservation, the organization she founded with Doug Tompkins.”
The ten-part series is titled The Unknown, and it will follow elite adventure athletes “as they recount stories of confronting fear, devastating personal loss and Mother Nature at her harshest. It will feature interviews and self-shot archival footage from surfers, climbers, snowboarders, wingsuit jumpers, polar explorers and kayakers.”
As for the pilot, that is for a project titled Photographer “following conservation photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier as they embark on an ambitious four-year expedition aboard the SeaLegacy One on its maiden voyage to the Bahamas.” If picked up to series, each subsequent episode will focus on a different National Geographic photographer.
Vasarhelyi and Chin said in a statement:
“National Geographic shares our deep commitment to bringing honest and inspiring stories to audiences around the world. We are thrilled to be working with them again on these powerful new projects that not only push the boundaries of filmmaking but also shine a light on the incredible resilience and determination of humankind.”
Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic added:
“Chai and Jimmy are masterful storytellers who bring unparalleled artistry and distinctive vision to everything they do. We are proud to continue our partnership with them to tell these profound stories in an authentic yet innovative way.”
I’m a big fan of the film work that Vasarhelyi and Chin have done over the years, and it’s great to see them lining up lots of great and adventure-filled projects!