Sky is to co-produce a new documentary series about Keiko, the captive male orca who became a global icon after starring in the 1993 blockbuster Free Willy.
Sky will co-produce alongside HBO and All3Media’s RAW, the team behind The Tinder Swindler, Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer and Three Identical Strangers. This partnership between Sky and HBO also follows the success of the BAFTA-nominated feature documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived.
The series will follow Keiko’s journey across Mexico, the United States, Iceland, and Norway. With exclusive access to never-before-seen archive footage, from his transport out of Iceland after capture as a two-year-old calf to his later rehabilitation and training.
Paired with personal stories from the people who knew him best, including key individuals who have never spoken publicly about Keiko before, the documentary offers “the most engaging and in-depth portrait yet of the world’s most famous whale.”
Hayley Reynolds, Head of Documentary Commissioning at Sky says “We are thrilled to be partnering with HBO again to co-produce the extraordinary, untold story behind one of the world’s most iconic blockbuster franchises. With Becky Read directing and RAW producing, we’re bringing together world-class talent to explore a story with real emotional and cultural weight — and to deliver it to audiences with the craft and ambition it deserves.”
Dimitri Doganis, Executive Producer and founder at RAW says “Becky and her team have gained unprecedented access to the characters who strove to release a captive orca for the first and only time, and to a treasure trove of never-seen archival material. This extraordinary story poses critical questions about our relationship to the natural world, a timely and ongoing issue.”
The series will be directed by Becky Read, who has previously directed ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas, Sky History’s Kursk: 10 Days That Shaped Putin, produced Three Identical Strangers and executive produced The Greatest Night in Pop.
Image Credit – Free Willy Keiko Foundation
Jon Creamer
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