The Emmy-winning people behind America: The Story of Us are ready to put together another documentary series with a wide scope. This time around, the Nutopia production company will partner with Sarah Davis and Christine Weber of Discovery to produce a series on a worldwide scale. Set for a 2012 release, the new project will be called How We Invented the World.
Disregarding the fact the title incorrectly makes humanity sound like the brilliant masters of the universe, the topic seems pretty cool. In five hours, How We Invented the World will take a look at the biggest breakthroughs of the modern age. While technologies everyone is aware of will be discussed at length, the creators will spend time looking into brand new, little-known technologies that will likely shape all of our futures -- like guns that check your fingerprint before they will fire.
When the program hits in 2012, it will air in 210 countries and could reach as many as 400 million households. The coolest part about the whole thing is that different versions are being created to fill regional niches. So if you live in the United States, your program in many places will feature local experts and information pertinent to the specific technologies available in your area. Same goes if you live in Austria, Australia, or wherever. This is the first massive project Discovery International is putting together and it is extremely ambitious. Props to whomever is doing the actual research for the documentary series.
You can check out Discovery’s full press release over at the Futon Critic.
