Nat Geo puts Picasso in frame for Genius

Nat Geo in the US will chronicle the life and work of Pablo Picasso in the second season of its scripted anthology series Genius.

Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein in Genius

The new run is again being produced by Homeland producer Fox 21 Television Studios, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Television, Oddlot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow.

Showrunner, executive producer and writer Ken Biller will return to oversee the new season, which will focus on the acclaimed Spanish artist and explore his influence on the world. The first season centred on Albert Einstein, starring Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush as the celebrated scientist, and concluded its run yesterday.

Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks, said she had been “thrilled with the enthusiastic response” audiences had to the first season of Genius.

“The remarkable story of artistic visionary Pablo Picasso is the perfect subject for season two of Genius,” added 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.”

Genius forms part of a scripted strategy for Nat Geo that has seen it break ratings records with feature-length one-offs such as Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln and Killing Jesus.

Nat Geo has also aired miniseries such as Saints & Strangers, but Genius is the first fully scripted series commissioned for the network. It has also started development on three scripted projects: pregnancy drama The Birth of the Pill, Ebola-focused The Hot Zone and an as-yet-untitled show from Marti Noxon (UnREAL).