EXCLUSIVE: Bear Grylls (Running Wild With Bear Grylls) has been tapped as host of National Geographic Channel’s upcoming docuseries Hostile Planet (working title), from Oscar-winning cinematographer and director Guillermo Navarro (Pan’s Labyrinth), Emmy-nominated producer Martha Holmes (The Blue Planet) and Emmy winner Tom Hugh-Jones (Planet Earth II).

Produced by Plimsoll Productions, Hostile Planet (wt) draws attention to the most extraordinary – almost supernatural – accounts of animals that have conformed to the cruelest evolutionary curveballs. Each episode characterizes one the planet’s roughest environments – including jungles, mountains, deserts, oceans, the Poles and grasslands – and how each of its inhabitants acclimate to its turn of events. Grylls will act as guide through these extreme locations where animals have adapted to survive against all odds.

National Geographic Channel

Per Nat Geo: Set against the backdrop of a more violent and volatile climate, the epic battles for survival take on a new urgency as animals face intensified wildfires, blizzards, droughts and downpours. To some, the new challenges are too much, but for others, it presents new opportunities. Hostile Planet is an epic drama told in an intimate manner with new camera technology allowing a close-up vantage point as the animals navigate through their changing landscapes.

With Navarro’s expertise in magical realism, such as that used in Pan’s Labyrinth, Hostile Planet infuses a ‘dark fairy tale’ tone into the series to underscore the beauty discovered during the most difficult times on Earth, says Nat Geo. The imagery is a realistic portrayal of the planet through the animals’ eyes.

The series is set to premiere globally in spring 2019 on National Geographic Channel.

“I’m so proud to be hosting this poignant and epic natural history saga,” said Grylls. “Along with National Geographic and Plimsoll Productions, I hope we can not only celebrate the epic survival skills of these unique animals that live in these most hostile environments, but also underscore a sense of urgency to the effects of climate change. This is a totally fresh look at the ruthlessness and fragility of Earth. Get ready for a survival story unlike any other.”

Last October, National Geographic aired the first three seasons of Running Wild With Bear Grylls, with the network also having the first option to air additional seasons of the series produced by Bear Grylls Ventures and Electus, should they be greenlit by NBC.

“The name Bear Grylls is synonymous with adventure, and I cannot think of a better person suited to help us tell this story of the remarkable resiliency of life on our planet,” said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president and general manager, Nat Geo WILD and interim president of original programming and production, National Geographic. “Bear is not only entertaining and surprising, but his unrivalled expertise and irrepressible determination complement the story of these animals in their most dramatic, culminating moments. With his charisma and knowledge, combined with the unparalleled storytelling techniques of the creative minds at its helm, Hostile Planet will reimagine the ways in which we showcase the natural world.”

Hostile Planet is produced by Plimsoll Productions for National Geographic. For Plimsoll Productions, executive producers include Grant Mansfield, Andrew Jackson, Martha Holmes, Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman and Tom Hugh-Jones, who also serves as showrunner. Guillermo Navarro is executive producer.