Netflix, DiCaprio ally on wildlife doc

Netflix has teamed with Wolf of Wall Street star and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio for the release of a feature-length documentary about African gorilla preservation.

Virunga follows a group of park rangers in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they try to protect the endangered primates from poachers.

The film comes from DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions, with the actor getting an exec producer credit.

Virunga will be released in LA and New York theatres on November 7, and will be made available on Netflix in all territories simultaneously.

The move is likely to intensify the conflict between the SVoD platform and theatre chains. Netflix last month announced its first original movie, a sequel to Oscar-winning martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with plans for simultaneous release in IMAX theatres in August.

The issue was a key part of the keynote speech delivered by Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarrandos at Mipcom last week. The exec said he wanted to speed up the “antiquated” film distribution model as it begins to offer original movies.

Speaking about the latest news he said DiCaprio “intuitively understands that there is nothing like the power of film to reach people’s hearts and minds.”

“With Virunga, we’ll work with Leo to introduce viewers around the world to an incredible, gripping story that will have audiences guessing right up until the final act,” said Sarandos.

Netflix recently ordered another gorilla-themed project, an animated series based on the story of King Kong.