National Geographic scraps Mary Shelley and makes soul singer Aretha Franklin the subject of the third season of its docu-drama series, Genius.

The upcoming third season of the scripted docu-drama series, Genius on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 262) will now be about Aretha Franklin, America's "Queen of Soul" and no longer Mary Shelley.

Aretha Franklin (76) died in August 2018. National Geographic made the announcement on Sunday evening in America during its slot at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour in Pasadena, California.

Suzan-Lori Parks will be the executive producer and showrunner of the project from Imagine Television and Fox 21 TV Studios, with Ken Biller who was executive producer and showrunner on the first two seasons who will return as executive producer.

Imagine Entertainment has partnered with Warner Music for the third season, which will again be executive produced by Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo; Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane from MWM Studios; and Sam Sokolow from EUE/Sokolow.

Imagine Entertainment's Anna Culp will serve as producer alongside Peter Afterman.

National Geographic renewed Genius in April 2018 for a third season with pressure for the upcoming season's subject to be a woman, with the author Mary Shelley initially revealed to follow after Albert Einstein and the second season's look at the life of painter Pablo Picasso.

National Geographic says a look at the life of Mary Shelley remains in consideration for a possible future season.

The third season of Genius covering Aretha Franklin will include several of her biggest recordings and hit songs from the Warner Music catalog including I Never Loved a Man, Chain of Fools, Don't Play That Song, Since You’ve Been Gone, and Baby I Love You, including several of her performances like I Knew You Were Waiting for Me, Freeway of Love, and Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves.

Filming of the third season of Genius will start this winter and will be broadcast on National Geographic in early-2020.

"Aretha Franklin had the ability to empower generations through her iconic music, and I'm excited to finally be able to tell her story, a career passion of mine," says Brian Grazer.

"All through her life she used her voice to elevate people and the causes she believed in, especially the women’s and civil rights movements."

"You can hear the hopes and sorrows of a divided nation in her soulful voice, penetrating and motivating people at their core in a deeply emotional way. She cut through the pain of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination to help heal and unite America with her music and, in the process, ushered in the post-gospel era of rhythm and blues. We're so grateful she shared her genius with the world."

Warner Music Group says  it is "honoured to be partnering with Ron, Brian, and the team at Imagine, along with Clive Davis, to tell the story of Aretha's genius".

National Geographic renews Genius for a 3rd season featuring Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.

National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 261) has renewed its Genius documentary drama series for a third season featuring its first female subject in the form of Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley.

After two seasons of featuring men - Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso - National Geographic started getting flack over its lack of female presentation and decided on a woman with a story of struggling against gender inequality.

No casting has yet been done for the third Genius season that will be broadcast on National Geographic in 2019.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein left an indelible mark on generations of imaginations," says Carolyn Bernstein, the executive vice president, global development and production for National Geographic Global Networks in a statement.

"Equally inspiring is the story of Shelley's relentless innovation, coupled with her desire to live on her own unconventional terms despite immense societal and cultural obstacles. I can't wait for our talented team to bring her remarkable, relevant and timely story to life for season three of Genius and do justice to her literary legacy."

Frankenstein was first published in 1818 and tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sentient creature with a monstrous appearance.

Mary Shelley masterfully invented the science fiction/horror genre with her tale of a creature brought to life, and subsequently went on to create the post-apocalyptic science fiction genre with her later novel, The Last Man.

"Mary Shelley has inspired countless filmmakers with her tale of the wretch brought to life by science gone wrong, but very few have fully captured her insightful reflections on society in the myth she left behind," says Ron Howard, Genius executive producer.

"Few know of her struggles due to gender inequities, her additional writings, her influence on other historically significant individuals and society at large. Showcasing someone like Mary Shelley and her amazing intellect, compassion and fortitude is exactly what this series is for, and we are looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios."

Bert Salke, president of Fox 21 says "The choice of Mary Shelley as the subject of our third season speaks to the incredible depth of the franchise. How fitting at this moment in time to pivot to one of the many female geniuses in human history, and Mary's story is both stranger than fiction and incredibly dramatic. We can't wait to get started."

Third season of Genius on National Geographic will very likely feature a woman; 'hopefully for next season we will find a woman to explore,' says producers.

The third season of the docudrama series, Genius, on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 261) will likely be profiling a woman after two seasons featuring white European men.

Brian Grazer, Genius executive producer, told TV critics at the Television Critics Association annual winter tour in Pasadena, California that the show is "zero-ing in to find a woman who is a genius and iconic in herself".

The first season of Genius revolved around Albert Einstein, with the upcoming, 10-episode second season that will profile the artist Picasso who will be played by Antonio Banderas.

Genius is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

Genius executive producer Ken Biller said "hopefully for next season we will find a woman to explore".

FOX Upfront 2017: The upcoming programming highlights on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, FOX and FOX Life for late-2017/early-2018.

On Wednesday in Johannesburg, FOX Networks Group Africa held its FOX Upfront 2017 to show advertisers and the media its upcoming programming for its 4 channels carried on MultiChoice's DStv and the Chinese StarTimes Media SA's StarSat.

While some more of FNG Networks Group Africa's channels are available in South Africa and carried on StarSat like FOX Sports, BabyTV and FOX News, no specific programming details of those channels were shared.

FOX Africa did mention that FOX Sports programming across Africa - and these channels' viewership - are growing. BabyTV was also briefly referenced.

FNG Networks Group Africa said it's working on rolling out its own FOX+ (foxplus.com) and NatGeo+ online video-on-demand streaming services in South Africa as well.

FOX+ and NatGeo PLUS have already been launched and are available elsewhere in the world.

Noteworthy is that the premium channel FOX suddenly has a lot less Express from the US titles than in the previous two years - similar to M-Net that's dramatically scaled back on this practice.

The new FOX science fiction satire dramedy series, The Orville from Seth MacFarlane, starting on Sunday night in America was for instance not mentioned. It's not clear if FOX has this show.

Other ongoing and new FOX tiles are also going to be delayed from this new 2017 season.

Here is what FOX Africa punted and highlighted at the FOX Upfront 2017:

Upcoming programming on National Geographic ( DStv 181 / StarSat 220) include:

Year Million (starting October 2017)
A new docu-drama series exploring what it might be like to be human, one million years into the future.
Futurists, scientists and science fiction writers guide viewers through the latest advances in technology, ideas and innovation that will likely power the evolution of mankind. Year Million paints a picture of future humanity through the eyes of a futuristic American family that includes a daughter that's an android.

Long Road Home (starting November 2017)
Based on the 2004 in-country experiences of the army's 1st Calvary Division from Fort Hood, Texas, this tells the story of the soldiers who were ambushed in a Baghdad attack that became known as "Black Sunday".
The series cuts between the action on the ground in Iraq and on the homefront back in Texas where families wait for news.

Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist (premieres December 2017)
A miniseries with Sigourney Weaver as narrator about Dian Fossey who did mountain gorilla research in Rwanda for 18 years.
The series will explore Dian Fossey's word, her death and her murder investigation.

Jane (premieres 2018)
National Geographic has found never-before-seen material in its archives of Jane Goodall and will reveal a candid and little-known-side to Dr Jane Goodall in new footage.

One Strange Rock (premieres 2018)
This new documentary will take viewers inside the planet Earth.

MARS II (premieres 2018)
The new 6-episode second season of MARS currently being filmed in Budapest, will continue to tell the story further after life has been discovered on the Red Planet.
The docuseries merges the science fiction drama story on Mars, with real-life scientists and visionaries describing how mankind could use science to live there.

The Story of Us II (premieres 2018)
God The American President Morgan Freeman will once again narrate the second season of this documentary series in which he meets people from different cultures whose lives are shaped through different experiences.
This time the hour long episodes will explore "fundamental forces" - like love, power, war and peace, rebellion and freedom.

Genius II (premieres 2018)
The second season of this fictionalised drama series will revolve around the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, played by Antonio Banderas.


Upcoming programming on Nat Geo WILD ( DStv 182 / StarSat 221) include:

Snakes in the City (September 2017)
A documentary-style reality TV series revolving around the daily life of the extreme snake bounty hunter Simon Keys living in Durban.

Savage Kingdom II: Uprising (premieres December 2017)
A second season of this "Game of Thrones" like big cat nature series filmed in the Kalahari.

Big Cat month (December 2017)
Several big cat documentaries will be broadcast on Nat Geo WILD during the month of December.


Upcoming programming on FOX ( DStv 125 / StarSat 131) include:

Empire IV (starts 28 September 2017 21:00, Express from the US)
The 4th season of the drama series Empire with Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard will start in South Africa very soon after episodes run in America for the 2017 fall season.
The new season will follow Luscious as he deals with his near-death experience from the season 3 finale.

The Mick II (3 October 2017)
The second season of this comedy series will start on 3 October on FOX about the brash-and-trash Mickey (Kaitlin Olson) who must suddenly look after her niece and nephews.

Star II (premieres January 2018)
The second season of this drama series will only start in January 2018 and it won't be an Express from the US title.
It's a problem for South African and African viewers, since the new 4th season of Empire and the second season of Star will have cross-over storylines and episodes.
The result is that South African viewers won't be able to properly follow the "disjointed" starting-cross-over-concluding storylines.
FOX Africa says it wants to show and complete Empire until its mid-season break, and will then start with Star.

Atlanta II (premieres 2018)
The second season of this drama series will start in 2018 on FOX following two cousins in Atlanta's rap music scene.

In January 2018 FOX will also have the second season of the rebooted The X-Files.

 FOX also has two more season of its drama anthology series American Crime Story. Versace: American Crime Story will be rolled out first, followed by the season dealing with the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

FOX will continue to show seasons and episodes of American drama and comedy series like Castle, The Simpsons, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Bones.

Legion II (premieres 2018)
The second season of this Marvel universe TV series will start in 2018. It follows David Haller who has super mental powers.

Upcoming programming on FOX Life (DStv 126 / StarSat 133) include:

Vintage Z (premieres October 2017)
This new local South African reality series revolves around edgy designer Oscar and his business manager Mandy who run Vintage Zionist in downtown Johannesburg.
As an upcoming South African fashion label inspired by leather, the two have their hands full with various challenges.

reality slot
FOX Life now has a dedicated reality show timeslot from Mondays to Fridays at 19:10, showing first-run international, non-scripted shows.

Turkish telenovelas
In a very interesting development for South African television, FOX Africa has decided to add Turkish telenovelas, dubbed into English, to FOX Life, starting 2 October.

Heartbeat will be FOX Life's first Turkish TV delight, stripped on weekdays from Monday 2 October in the 18:25 timeslot, followed by Lodestar.

Antonio Banderas to play Pablo Picasso in the second season of Genius on National Geographic.

The Spanish-born Antonio Banderas will be portraying Pablo Picasso in the second season of Genius on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220).

In June National Geographic from the FOX Networks Group announced that the second season of its anthology scripted drama series Genius will revolve around the life of the famed Spanish painter.

Production of the 10-episode second season, following the first season that covered Albert Einstein, will start within months and will be broadcast on National Geographic worldwide in 2018.

The prolific artist known for his "Blue Period" generated over 50 000 works in 80 of his 91 years and he had an intriguing life that intersected with artists, writers and other creators ranging from Coco Chanel and Henri Matisse to Jean Cocteau and Gertrude Stein.

The second season of Genius will continue to be produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

"The life story of Pablo Picasso has long since fascinated me and I have so much respect for this man, who also comes from my birthplace Malaga," says Antonio Banderas in a press release.

"I am thrilled to work with National Geographic and the rest of the Genius team to tell an authentic story of one of the most innovative painters in the world."

"Antonio was the natural choice. He, like Picasso, has a no-holds-barred approach to life that will add to the genuineness that we're looking for," says Ron Howard. "He has such tremendous range as an actor, who I know will bring this brilliant and unconventional artist to life."

"From Pancho Villa to Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Antonio has had such a successful track record in portraying real-life, larger-than-life iconic figures with such honesty and depth. And with Picasso, I'm looking forward to seeing his interpretation of the man behind the artistic greatness, says Brian Grazer.

"Not only are they both from Malaga, Spain, but also similar to Picasso, Antonio exudes charisma and passion, and has challenged boundaries with his creative artistry," says Carolyn Bernstein, National Geographic vice president and head of global scripted programming. "He checks all the boxes for us and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him lead the series."

National Geographic reveals that the second season of Genius will move on from Albert Einstein to Pablo Picasso.

National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) has announced that the second season of its fictional, factual drama series Genius will move on from Albert Einstein and again cover a white male genius, the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.

Casting on the second season of Genius has not yet started, with the second season that will again flip between time periods as did the first, of the life of the artist who died aged 91 in 1973 after created over 50 000 works.

Pablo Picasso's passionate nature and relentless creative drive were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and constantly shifting political and personal alliances.

The artistic genius lived most of his life in the vibrant Paris of the first half of the 20th century and crossed paths with writers and artists including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Gertrude Stein, Georges Braque, and Jean Cocteau.

Genius from Imagine Entertainment and Fox 21 Television Studios will again be executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, with production that will start later this year and the second season that will be broadcast in 2018 on 171 feeds of National Geographic globally.

"We are excited to be delving back in to the concept with season two," says Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks in a statement about Genius' second season.

"More so than any of his contemporaries, Picasso's work dramatically expressed the modern age and defined new cultural norms. We are excited to explore his life and his genius with the incredibly talented team behind the series."

"The remarkable story of artistic visionary Pablo Picasso is the perfect subject for season two of Genius," says Ron Howard, executive producer.

"Picasso was a trailblazer who left a profound artistic and cultural impact on the world and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios in telling the untold story behind the brilliant individual."

Johnny Flynn, Geoffrey Rush to play young, old versions of Albert Einstein in National Geographic Channel's first scripted TV series, Genius.

The South African born actor and musician Johnny Flynn and Geoffrey Rush will play a young and old version of Albert Einstein in National Geographic Channel's (DStv 181) first scripted TV series entitled Genius.

The first season of the Genius anthology series is based on Walter Isaacson's Albert Einstein biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe, and production will start next month (September) in Prague.

As with several other FOX channels and National Geographic Channel shows the past two years, the Albert Einstein series with 10 episodes will start in South Africa and 170 other countries on the National Geographic Channel simultaneously in 2017.

The Albert Einstein drama will tell the story of a young Albert Einstein, years before he rose to fame - a period during which he was a lowly patent clerk who couldn't get an academic job, and long before his famous research and equations.

Each episode of Genius will explore Albert Einstein's scientific achievements, along with his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.

"The caliber of the Genius cast lives up to the show's title," says Carolyn Bernstein, the executive vice president and head of global scripted development and production at the National Geographic Channel.

"The supremely talented Geoffrey Rush is dream casting for the role of Albert Einstein, and Johnny Flynn not only is an incredible talent but also bears more than a passing resemblance to Rush."

"National Geographic's unwavering commitment to excellence and their support and passion for this project has helped us attract talent such as Geoffrey and Johnny. My excitement for this project grows every day, and I cannot wait to get started," says executive producer Ron Howard in the statement, who will also be the director of the first episode of Genius.