THE SERIES FOCUSES ON MASTERS OF THEIR CRAFT TELLING THE UNTOLD STORIES BEHIND THEIR GENRE INCLUDING ROBERT KIRKMAN, JAMES CAMERON, ELI ROTH AND OTHERS
New York, NY – 3 November 2017 – AMC Global announced today that it has acquired the year-round documentary series “AMC Visionaries” for Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The AMC Studios series partners with prolific artists to present the untold stories and fascinating histories of pop culture genres from the masters themselves. Instalments in the series will include “AMC Visionaries: Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics,” “AMC Visionaries: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction,” “AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth’s History of Horror” (working title) and “AMC Visionaries: Rap Yearbook” (working title). The first instalments will premiere later this year with further instalments to follow next year.
“The ‘AMC Visionaries’ series is a fascinating collection of nonfiction programming and an incredibly exciting acquisition for AMC Global, perfectly complementing our diverse range of world class dramas, “ said Patrick Connolly, Vice President of Programming, AMC and SundanceTV Global. “The series offers unique insights into popular culture in all its diversity and brings together an enormous variety of artists, all leaders, experts and true visionaries in their respective fields.”
“AMC Visionaries: Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics,” is a six-part one-hour documentary series which takes an in-depth look at the stories, people and events that have transformed the world of comic books. It features interviews with icons such as Stan Lee, Patty Jenkins, Lynda Carter, Kevin Smith, Famke Janssen, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Rodriguez, and Todd McFarlane, among many others. “AMC Visionaries: Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics” is executive Produced by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert (“The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead”), Bryan and Sean Furst (“Daybreakers,” “Dice”), Daniel Junge (“Saving Face,” “Being Evel”) and Rory Karpf (“The Book of Manning,” “Dale”). A selection of images from the series can be downloaded here.
“AMC Visionaries: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction,” sees acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron introducing the ‘Big Questions’ that humankind has contemplated throughout the ages and reaches back into sci-fi’s past to better understand how our favourite films, TV shows, books, and video games were born, and where the genre – and our species – might be going in the future. From Star Wars and Avatar to The Hunger Games and “The Walking Dead,” sci-fi has become a cornerstone of popular culture. Cameron and his contemporaries, who have helped to fuel the genre’s spectacular growth over the last several decades, debate the merits, meanings and impact of the films and novels that influenced them. Featuring interviews with Paul W. Anderson, Roland Emmerich, Paul Verhoeven, Bryan Singer, Keanu Reeves and Jonathan Nolan, among others. “AMC Visionaries: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction” is executive produced by James Cameron, Maria Wilhelm, Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver and is produced by Left/Right. Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), which houses the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, is consulting on the series.
“AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth’s History of Horror” (working title) brings together the masters of horror – the storytellers and stars who define the genre – to explore its biggest themes and reveal the inspirations and struggles behind its past and present. Each one-hour episode will take viewers on a chilling exploration of how horror has evolved through the eras and impacted society as well as why such a loyal fan base continues to be addicted to fear. “AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth’s History of Horror” is executive produced by award-winning horror film director, writer, producer and actor, Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever,” “Hostel”), Steven Michaels, Jonathan Koch, Joseph Freed and Allison Berkley and is produced by Asylum Entertainment and Marwar Junction Productions.
“AMC Visionaries: Rap Yearbook” (working title), based on Shea Serrano’s New York Times best-selling book The Rap Yearbook, debates, deconstructs and illuminates the most important moments and songs from the biggest years in the history of hip-hop. Each episode centeres on the story of one key song and features a special guest MC as well as a select group of core contributors including legendary rap artists, acclaimed music experts and other fresh voices. The series gives viewers a deeper understanding of what hip-hop is all about by diving into the music and its history. It provides a multi-layered exploration of what was going on in the streets, on the airwaves, and in the lives of the people who created the songs that made hip-hop one of the most important music genres in the world. “AMC: Visionaries: Rap Yearbook” is executive produced by Jigsaw Productions in association with Passyunk Productions and Philly Films. Executive producers are founding members of the Grammy® Award-winning hip-hop band The Roots, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (Passyunk Productions), Academy® and Emmy® Award-winning Alex Gibney and Stacey Offman (Jigsaw Productions) and Shawn Gee (Philly Films).
About AMC Global
AMC Global, a business unit of AMC Networks International, commemorates favourite films from every genre and decade and showcases acclaimed first run original programming to bring audiences something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network has created some of the most award-winning series of the past decade that have re-defined dramatic storytelling. In addition to being widely distributed throughout North America, AMC is available in over 125 countries. AMC Global is a premier entertainment destination that is available in HD and SD and across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.
About AMC Networks International
AMC Networks International (AMCNI), the global division of AMC Networks, delivers entertaining and acclaimed programming that reaches subscribers in more than 140 countries and territories, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. AMCNI consists of global brands, SundanceTV and AMC, as well as popular, locally recognized channels in various programming genres. For more information, visit: www.www.amcnetworks.com/amcni.
About AMC Studios
AMC Studios is the in-house studio, production and distribution operation for AMC Networks Inc., which owns and operates the AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and BBC AMERICA national television networks. AMC Studios’ first series was “The Walking Dead,” the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last six seasons. Since then, AMC Studios has produced several critically acclaimed, award-winning and culturally distinctive originals for AMC including scripted series “Fear the Walking Dead,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Son” and the forthcoming series “The Terror,” “Lodge 49” and “Dietland,” as well as unscripted series “Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics,” “James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction,” and “Ride with Norman Reedus.” The studio has also produced the Peabody Award-winning “Rectify,” and “Hap and Leonard,” as well as unscripted forthcoming series “Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders” for SundanceTV, and for BBC AMERICA, the original series “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.”
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