National Geographic Announce ‘Genius’ Season 2 About Picasso
National Geographic announced today that their scripted anthology series ‘Genius‘ will return for a 2nd season, and will chronicle the life and work of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.
It comes as no great surprise National Geographic are keen for more, given Season 1, which starred Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein was the network’s best-performing new series launch ever, being viewed by 45 million people worldwide.
The artistic career of Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso spanned more than 80 of his 91 years, much of it in his second home of France. Much like the subject of the first season of GENIUS, Albert Einstein, Picasso imagined and interpreted the world in totally new and unorthodox ways, and constantly reinvented our perceptions of art and creativity. The prolific artist generated more than 50,000 works, among the most notable being The Old Guitarist from his Blue Period, now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago; Guernica, inspired by the Nazi bombing of a small Spanish town of the same name, currently on display at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain; and Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, inspired by lover and muse Fernande Olivier, now on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
His passionate nature and relentless creative drive were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and constantly shifting political and personal alliances. He lived most of his life in the vibrant Paris of the first half of the 20th Century and crossed paths with writers and artists including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Gertrude Stein, Georges Braque, and Jean Cocteau. Picasso constantly reinvented himself, always striving to innovate and push the boundaries of artistic expression.
Showrunner, Executive Producer and writer Ken Biller will continue his role overseeing the new season. He is joined by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo as EPs. Fox 21 Television Studios will once again serve as the studio.
“The remarkable story of artistic visionary Pablo Picasso is the perfect subject for season 2 of GENIUS,” said executive producer Ron Howard. “Picasso was a trailblazer who left a profound artistic and cultural impact on the world and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios in telling the untold story behind the brilliant individual.”
Filming on ‘Genius Season 2‘ is expected to begin later this year, and will premiere in 2018 on National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and 45 languages.
