We've known for a short while that the BBC is planning a sequel to its hit documentary series Planet Earth. The network has been working on Planet Earth II for quite some time, however, and now we get to take a first look at the beautiful and glorious upcoming docu-series. The first trailer is released, and you can catch it in all its HD glory, below.
It's hard to know where to start with this trailer. We see critters in urban environments and creatures leaving in the seas. The earth opens up to allow lava to flow as the cameras are rolling and lightning brightens the night sky. Planet Earth II has shot bats in slow motions so we can see their swift movements. It even features adorable swimming critters. Watching this, I feel like Kristen Bell during that time she freaked out upon meeting a sloth.
Still, my favorite shot might be when a winter landscape gives way to a beautiful waterfall cascading in good weather:
Like the past incarnation of Planet Earth, Planet Earth II will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The new series has also been shot in UHD---ultra high definition---to make it a little more ambitious than the first series. The first Planet Earth was five years in the making, finally coming to television back in 2006. Planet Earth II on the other hand, was only officially announced by the BBC seven months ago, although the film has clearly been in the works for a while (an earlier press release stated it took three years to shoot). While the network hasn't revealed an official premiere date, yet, this trailer makes it seem as if Planet Earth II should be heading to the schedule sooner rather than later. We'll let you know when the series gets a US release.
A good fit might be the Discovery Channel or Netflix. Discovery had the original run of Planet Earth in the US and the series clearly prospered on that network. Netflix has also announced a collaboration with Silverback films and the WWF called Our Planet that is expected to hit the schedule in 2019; in fact, the original run of the series can be viewed on the streaming service. For now, you can find out what is headed to TV much sooner with our fall TV premiere schedule.
