In order to boost its growth efforts, Netflix is partnering with popular actor Leonardo DiCaprio to develop environmental documentary projects in the future, according to a press release. All the projects launched through the partnership will be produced by DiCaprio.
Netflix and DiCaprio in a multi-year deal
Appian Way, a production company owned by DiCaprio and Netflix, is planning several environmental and conservation themed documentary and docu-series projects. Along with the existing projects, ‘fact-based projects’ will be identified and developed by Netflix and DiCaprio under the terms of the multi-year deal.
Virunga was the first documentary produced by Netflix and DiCaprio in partnership. The movie was about protecting the last of the mountain gorillas in Africa, and it won an Oscar nomination this year in the Best Documentary Feature.
Ted Sarandos, the Chief Content Officer of Netflix, calls the partnership a ‘natural extension’ of the already-existing relationship between the streaming firm and Leonardo DiCaprio. Apart from the deal with DiCaprio, Netflix, in a deal valued at $12 million, acquired the worldwide rights to Cary Fukunaga’s African war drama, Beasts of No Nation.
DiCaprio hopes to give documentary makers an instant platform
In 2007, DiCaprio produced a documentary 11th Hour, which was based on the state of the global environment. The actor plans to go beyond entertainment, saying “there’s never been a more critical time for our planet or more of a need for gifted storytellers to help us all make sense of the issues we face.” Talking about the partnership, the actor says he hopes to give “documentary filmmakers doing urgent and important work” an opportunity to make their films available instantly to the global audiences through Netflix.
DiCaprio is a five times Oscar-nominated actor, and in recent years he has earned a reputation as a producer, philanthropist and environmental activist. In September, DiCaprio was named as a U.N. Messenger of Peace with a focus on climate change. The actor,also created a foundation called the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to work on the protection of wild places and threatened species.
On Wednesday, Netflix shares closed down 1.04%, while year to date the stock is up over 37%.
