Nickelodeon, Imagine launch kids into space

Ron Howard (left) and Brian Grazer

Nickelodeon in the US is developing a live-action series with the kids’ and family arm of Imagine Entertainment, the US studio from Hollywood heavyweights Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

The as-yet-untitled programme will be showrun, written and executive produced by Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle, The Blacklist) and centres on a group of kids who mistakenly launch into space.

The series marks the first project coproduced by Nickelodeon and Imagine Kids & Family. It will be executive produced by Imagine Entertainment chairmen Grazer and Howard, alongside Knauf and Imagine Kids & Family president Stephanie Sperber.

The production will be overseen by Shauna Phelan, senior VP of scripted content for Nickelodeon, and creative executive Will Davis for Imagine Kids & Family.

In the show, after a dare gone wrong, a group of kids accidentally launch an almost-finished spaceship designed to investigate a mysterious asteroid passing by earth, putting them in its path.

Without any proper training, they embark on a journey of survival using their smarts and friendship as their tools, as their parents watch from back on earth and attempt to guide them to safety.

“Dan’s vision blends real science with compelling storytelling in a way that will engage young audiences around the world,” said Sperber, who joined Imagine to oversee its fledgling kids’ and family arm in January.

Imagine has an illustrious history of telling stories rooted in space adventure, including multiple Oscar-winning movie Apollo 13, hybrid docuseries Mars for Nat Geo, and Emmy-winning series From the Earth to the Moon for HBO.

The division recently announced a partnership with author James Patterson’s kids’ company, Jimmy Books, and is also linking with picture magazine Life to develop Life for Kids, an animated series looking at history using images from the magazine.

Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986 by Grazer and Howard to create independently produced feature films, TV shows and other original programming.