National Geographic braces for disaster docuseries Megastorm from 72 Films

Megastorm reconstructs multiple weather-related disasters

MIPCOM: Disney-owned cablenet National Geographic has commissioned Megastorm, an eight-part documentary series exploring extreme weather disasters through the firsthand accounts of survivors, storm chasers and emergency responders.

Produced by Fremantle-owned 72 Films, the series reconstructs events including Hurricane Helene, a December tornado outbreak in Tennessee, flooding in Valencia and Australia’s ‘Black Summer’ wildfires, combining personal testimony with footage captured during the disasters.

Megastorm premieres on National Geographic in the US today (October 13), with episodes streaming on Disney+ from tomorrow.

In the UK, it launches on Disney+ on November 8 before its National Geographic premiere on November 9, with roll-outs across other markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa scheduled across this month and next.

Fremantle is handling international sales and is launching the series at Mipcom. John Douglas, creative director at 72 Films, is executive producer, alongside National Geographic exec producer Cate Hall.

Fremantle global head of documentaries and factual Mark Reynolds said: “With the powerful testimony from people who experienced these events, our partners at 72 Films have created a series that feels both incredibly immersive and profoundly human.

“We’re looking forward to launching Megastorm at Mipcom and bringing this standout factual series to international audiences.”