Nickelodeon and Imagine Kids+Family Developing Original Live-Action Space Series
Daniel Knauf Joins as Series Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer
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BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nickelodeon
and Imagine Kids+Family are partnering to develop the original
live-action series, Untitled Space Show (working title). Untitled
Space Show will be showrun and written by Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle,
The Blacklist) and centers around a group of kids who mistakenly
launch into space. The series marks the first project co-produced by
Nickelodeon and Imagine Kids+Family. Untitled Space Show will be
executive produced by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian
Grazer and Ron Howard, Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber,
and Knauf. The production will be overseen by Shauna Phelan, Senior Vice
President, Scripted Content for Nickelodeon and by creative executive
Will Davis for Imagine Kids+Family.
In Untitled Space Show, an almost-finished spaceship is about to
launch into space with the world’s leading scientists to investigate a
mysterious asteroid passing by earth. After a dare gone wrong, a group
of kids accidentally launch the ship, putting them in the path of an
asteroid. Without any proper training, they embark on a journey of
survival using their smarts and friendship as their tools, as their
parents watch from back on earth and attempt to guide them to safety.
“Working with Brian, Ron and all the creative voices at Imagine to
create this project for Nickelodeon is a dream come true,” said Brian
Robbins, President, Nickelodeon. “They have an insatiable love for
storytelling and content creation that resonates globally, and we’re
excited to explore this new adventure together for kids and families.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Nickelodeon to expand upon
Imagine’s legacy telling great stories set in space. Dan’s vision blends
real science with compelling storytelling in a way that will engage
young audiences around the world,” said Sperber.
Imagine has a rich history telling stories rooted in space adventure
including the multiple Academy Award-winning film Apollo 13, the
hybrid docuseries Mars for NatGeo, and the Emmy Award-winning
series From The Earth To The Moon for HBO. Imagine Kids+Family
was started in January of this year by Imagine Entertainment, and is run
by Sperber. The division recently announced a partnership James
Patterson’s kids division JIMMY Books, and with LIFE to develop LIFE
for Kids, an animated series to bring history to life using images
from the preeminent picture magazine.
About Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986 by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard
to create independently produced feature films, television programs and
other original programming. Imagine’s productions have been honored with
more than 60 prestigious awards including 43 Academy Award nominations
and 195 Emmy® award nominations. Past productions include the Academy
Award Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind, as well as
Grammy Award Best Film winner The Beatles: Eight Days A Week –
The Touring Years. Additional films include Get
on Up, Rush, J. Edgar, Frost/Nixon, American Gangster, The Da Vinci Code, Apollo
13, 8 Mile, Liar, Liar, Backdraft, and Parenthood to
name a few. Recent films include The Spy Who Dumped
Me staring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon which won of the 2018
People Choice Award for Best Comedy, and the upcoming documentary Pavarotti. Television
productions include Fox’s Empire, Shots Fired and the 24
franchise, NatGeo’s Genius anthology series, MARS, and Breakthrough;
NBC’s Parenthood and Friday Night Lights; Fox’s
and Netflix’s Arrested Development, as well as HBO’s From
the Earth to the Moon, for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy® for
Outstanding Mini-Series. Current television projects in production
include Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), Swagger (Apple), Why
Women Kill (CBS All Access), and Filthy Rich (Fox).
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer began their collaboration in 1985 with the
hit comedies Night Shift and Splash, and
continue to run Imagine Entertainment as chairmen. www.imagine-entertainment.com
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 40th year, is the number-one
entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by
putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television
programming and production in the United States and around the world,
plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing
and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.
Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks
of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
Contacts
Press:
Ariana Urbont/Nickelodeon
310-752-8079
ariana.urbont@nick.com
Sage Shah/Imagine Entertainment
310-858-2135
s.shah@imagine-entertainment.com