BBC's State of Play and Planet Earth get movie makeover

by Joe Lepper, Brand Republic 13-Oct-06, 11:00

LONDON - Two of the BBC's most successful TV series, the political thriller 'State of Play' and documentary series 'Planet Earth', are set to be turned into films.

'State of Play' is set to get the Hollywood treatment with writer Paul Abbott working on a cinema release version, which will be set in the US and star Brad Pitt in the central role that was played by BBC One 'Life on Mars' star John Simm in the original.

The TV series was a huge critical and commercial success for the BBC, but plans for a second series have been shelved.

The thriller followed a group of journalists investigating the death of a political researcher and won a Bafta for actor Bill Nighy, who played a liberal newspaper editor.

Meanwhile, the producers of the Sir David Attenborough-fronted 'Planet Earth' are also understood to be planning a cinema version, set for an October release. This will feature footage from the TV series as well as extra narrative sequences to concentrate on three central characters, a whale, a polar bear and an elephant.

The aim is to recreate the success of French wildlife film the 'March of the Penguins', which won an Oscar and has become one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time.

The decision to release a cinema version comes ahead of plans to screen a two-week series early next year on BBC Two to celebrate 50 years of the corporation's Natural History Unit.

Called 'Saving Planet Earth' this will include an hour-long launch programme presented by Attenborough and Alan Titchmarsh and will focus on conservation issues.

As with the BBC's two-week run of UK wildlife show 'Autumn Watch', which concluded last night, this will also cross over with children's channel CBBC and have online content on bbc.co.uk.

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