Nat Geo commissions Rebel Pope bio

National Geographic Channel today announced two upcoming specials due to air in 2016.

Rebel Pope will profile Jorge Mario Bergoglio – otherwise known as Pope Francis – weaving dramatic, scripted accounts of episodes from Bergoglio’s pre-Vatican life with documentary interviews from those close to him during this time.

It will chart his his rise through the Church hierarchy, while radical views stir controversy in some circles. Filming will take place in Argentina and Colombia.

Meanwhile Space Shuttle Challenger’s ill-fated 1986 flight will be revisited on its 30th anniversary via rare footage from the time in Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes.

It follows the story of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who lost their lives when the Challenger exploded just after lift-off in front of a live television audience.

The events of the days leading up to the disaster are told solely via rarely seen national and local news reports, and little-known internal NASA archival footage featuring Christa McAuliffe.

Hamish Mykura, Executive Vice President and Head of International Content for NGCI, said of the two projects, “Pope Francis is a fascinating figure with an incredible backstory that hasn’t been told in full until now. Rebel Pope is the definitive story of his rise to power. Between the scripted elements and the interviews, we really get under the skin of this man of the people to find out how his inspiring beliefs evolved and what the influences were that shaped him on his path to the papacy.

“As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, the opportunity to go behind the scenes in a way never seen before and put the event into the context of its time, is a rare privilege. With leaps and bounds being made in space exploration, it is vital that we fully understand the trajectory that led us to this point and acknowledge those who sacrificed their lives in our quest to better understand the solar system.”