National Geographic Planning Documentary Focused on Astronomer/Astrophysicist Carl Sagan

National Geographic Documentary Films is ready to tell the tale of legendary astrophysicist Carl Sagan with the help of Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door and Hungry Man according to Deadline.

What’s Happening:

It is reported that legendary astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan will be the subject of an upcoming documentary feature from National Geographic Documentary Films.
The Untitled Carl Sagan Film will be produced by Fuzzy Door’s Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, Emmy and Peabody winner Ann Druyan – Sagan’s life partner – and Academy Award nominee Nanette Burstein, with Burstein directing. Also producing is production company Hungry Man.
Sagan, who expanded scientific understanding of the universe and helped millions appreciate the wonders of the cosmos, was a well known author of Cosmos and Contact, and was a personality who introduced the immensity of outer space to intrigued students, enthusiasts, and those who were simply just curious. He appeared frequently on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Contact was adapted into the 1997 Robert Zemeckis film starring Jodie Foster. National Geographic also points out that he was a consultant and adviser to NASA since the 1950s, briefed the Apollo astronauts before their flights to the Moon, and was an experimenter on the Mariner, Viking, Voyager and Galileo planetary expeditions.”
The new documentary, set for National Geographic channels and a Disney+ release, will serve as an intimate and cinematic portrait of Sagan and will explore his love story with partner Ann Druyan and with science. National Geographic Documentary Films also says that the film will include exclusive audio recordings, archival clips and animation, along with interviews with his family, friends and colleagues. With the full support of Sagan’s family and friends, the film will present a fascinating look into the life and career of one of the world’s most inspiring and revolutionizing scientists of our time.
Recent documentaries from National Geographic include the Oscar-nominated Fire of Love, the Oscar-shortlisted Retrograde and The Territory. NatGeo’s Free Solo won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Fuzzy Door, MacFarlane’s production house, is behind The Orville, Family Guy, American Dad! And the Peabody award-winning Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, inspired by the original Cosmos, garnering 13 Emmy nominations and was reportedly seen by more than 135 million people.

What They’re Saying:

Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of documentary films for National Geographic: “Carl Sagan was a groundbreaking and revolutionary scientist who decoded the complexity of the cosmos and made planetary science accessible and relevant to audiences around the world. We are so excited to work with Nanette, Ann and Fuzzy Door to bring Sagan’s pioneering work and compelling personal story to a new generation of admirers.”
Executive producer Ann Druyan: “Carl’s life is a multidimensional epic. He was a pathfinder in the sciences and a force in the culture, articulating the numinous wonder of a science-based sense of the sacred. He is one of the greatest awakeners in our history, and I feel that with Nanette, Fuzzy Door, Hungry Man and NatGeo, I now have the right partners to tell his thrilling story.”
Nanette Burstein: “Two things that most impacted my childhood were the death of my grandmother and reading Carl Sagan. Carl shaped how I view the world in the most fundamental ways. I am thrilled to be embarking on this trippy and poignant filmmaking journey, which has been an abiding passion.”