ZDF Studios & Curiosity explore ‘Restless Planet’ in co-pro docuseries

Restless Planet

ZDF Studios subsidiary ZDF Digital has partnered with Curiosity and ZDFinfo for Restless Planet (working title), a new science series exploring the history of the world.

The 5 x 50-minute Curiosity original science documentary series spans 4.5 billion years when Earth was first formed through to the modern day, exploring the dramatic history of our planet and the catastrophes that determined Earth’s fate.

Produced by ZDF Digital, a subsidiary wholly owned by ZDF Studios, in association with Curiosity and its flagship streamer Curiosity Stream, as well as ZDFinfo, the series is now filming in eight locations: Chile, Australia, Indonesia, Iceland, USA, Canada, Switzerland and Germany. The title will be delivered in June 2023 and ZDF Studios will handle all international sales outside of the co-production partner’s rights.

Ralf Rueckauer, VP of unscripted, ZDF Studios, commented: “Restless Planet is an extraordinary series based on all the latest research with the involvement of some of the world’s top experts in the fields of planetology, science, geology, physics and biology.

“This is also a timely and thought-provoking documentary as we face the ever-growing threat of climate change.”

In related news, ZDF Studios has secured global distribution rights to Smart Swarms, a new 2 x 52-minute documentary that studies the behaviour of wildlife operating within swarms. Produced by Spiegel TV for ZDF’s Terra X slot, the two-parter is expected to have completed production by mid 2023.

“The scientists involved in making this production, their experiments and findings add another layer to this fascinating subject. Combined with beautifully filmed scenes of nature’s swarms, this is a documentary that will captivate audiences everywhere,” said Rueckauer