Daniel Craig is to provide the narration for a new BBC nature film, replacing Sir David Attenborough. The James Bond actor has been chosen as the figurehead of an attempt by the corporation to use natural history films to generate millions of pounds from international audiences. His first venture into wildlife film narration will be a production called ‘One Life,’ which uses footage from the BBC series ‘Life,’ which has been hosted by Sir David since it first appeared as ‘Life On Earth,’ in 1979.
In the new production, the 007 star will describe the lives of around 20 animals, from a Darwin’s beetle to a humpback whale. The film is being produced by BBC Earth, a global brand for the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. As such, it is not funded directly by license fee payers, but is designed to generate more money. ‘One Life,’ which is in high definition, will launch in Japan in September and is expected to arrive in British cinemas before the end of the year.
It takes a broader theme than the ‘Life’ television series and is regarded by the BBC as a separate project. It is one of three films by BBC Earth which will take the corporation’s natural history expertise into cinemas. The others will be ‘Walking with Dinosaurs 3D’ and a wildlife movie, provisionally entitled ‘Africa 3D.’ Speaking about his venture into narrating wildlife films, Craig said, “The BBC Natural History Unit have proven, year after year, that their documentary skills are second to none.”
