National Geographic Debuts First Scripted Series Genius, April 25 At 9 p.m. ET/PT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DEBUTS FIRST SCRIPTED SERIES GENIUS, APRIL 25 AT 9 p.m. ET/PT

Ten-Episode Global Event Series Chronicling the Extraordinary Life of Albert Einstein is Executive Produced by Academy Award® Winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, and Stars Academy Award-Winner Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Johnny Flynn 

View the Fascinating Extended Trailer HERE

National Geographic is Available on National Free Preview Beginning April 15

Toronto, Canada – Though his scientific achievements continue to inspire awe, few know the entire story of the tumultuous private life of the 20th century’s most brilliant icon, Albert Einstein. Debuting Tuesday, April 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, National Geographic’s new 10-part global event series, Genius – the channel’s first scripted series – reveals how Albert became Einstein, exploring his extraordinary professional achievements along with his volatile, passionate, and complex personal relationships.

Executive produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Gigi Pritzker – with Howard making his scripted television directorial debut with the first episode – Genius features an all-star cast comprised of Geoffrey Rush (Shine) as the celebrated scientist, Johnny Flynn (Clouds of Sils Maria) as Albert in the years before he rose to international acclaim, and Emily Watson (The Theory of Everything) as his second wife and first cousin, Elsa. The series also stars Samantha Colley (The Crucible), T.R. Knight (The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy), Seth Gabel (Salem), and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men).

Based on Walter Isaacson’s book Einstein: His Life and Universe, Genius chronicles Einstein’s rise from humble origins as an imaginative, rebellious thinker, through his struggles to be recognized by the establishment, to his global celebrity status as the person who unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos with his theory of relativity. Delving deeper, the series follows Einstein’s callous emotions with his closest personal relationships, including his children, his two wives, and the various women with whom he has extra-marital affairs. The series is set against an era of global unrest over the course of two world wars. Faced with rising anti-Semitism in Europe, surveillance by spies, and the potential for atomic annihilation, Einstein struggles as a husband and a father, not to mention as a man of principle, even as his own life is put in danger. While his journey is far from easy, Einstein finds hope and inspiration before his death, in the form of a young girl looking to understand the world. As Einstein famously said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, where Einstein lived and taught early in his career, the series also features scientific minds from the turn of the 20th century, including Marie and Pierre Curie, Wilhelm Rontgen, Carl Jung, Werner Heisenberg, and more. Genius premieres globally in April on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages.

Genius is executive produced by Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo, and co-produced by Anna Culp; showrunner, executive producer and writer is Ken Biller; from OddLot Entertainment, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane are executive producers and Melissa Rucker is co-producer; Sam Sokolow and Jeff Cooney from EUE/Sokolow are also executive producers. Writer Noah Pink, who adapted the series for the screen, is co-executive producer. For National Geographic, Carolyn G. Bernstein is executive vice president and head of global scripted development and production. The series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Television and OddLot Entertainment.

National Geographic is available on a National Free Preview from April 15 – May 15, 2017. Please check local listings. Visit natgeotv.com/ca for show schedules, exclusive clips, interviews, and more.

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About Corus Entertainment Inc.
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that creates and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. The company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompasses 45 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a global content business, digital assets, live events, children’s book publishing, animation software, technology and media services. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network Canada, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, National Geographic, Q107, CKNW, Fresh Radio, Disney Channel Canada, YTV and Nickelodeon Canada. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Nat Geo People) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of the world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now it is committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for consumers… all while reaching over 730 million people around the world in 171 countries and 45 languages every month. NGP returns 27 percent of its proceeds to the non-profit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com.

About Fox 21 Television Studios
Fox 21 Television Studios is a production unit housed within Fox Television Group devoted to making creatively Ambitious scripted and unscripted series for all distribution platforms. Fox 21 Television Studios is responsible for the for the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning sensation from Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson “The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” (with FX Productions), the Emmy and Golden Globe winning “Homeland,” starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, the critically acclaimed “The Americans” (with FX Productions) starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, “Dice,” from Scot Armstrong, Sean Furst, Bryan Furst, Richard Shepard, Bruce Rubenstein and Andrew Dice Clay, “Queen of the South,” executive produced by David T. Friendly and Natalie Chaidez,  and “Chance” from Kem Nunn, Alexandra Cunningham, Lenny Abrahamson, Michael London, and Brian Grazer.  Upcoming series include “Genius” (with Imagine, OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow) from Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow, Jeff Cooney, Ken Biller and Noah Pink, “Seven Seconds” from Veena Sud, and Ryan Murphy’s latest anthology, “FEUD: Bette and Joan,” starring Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon.

About Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986 by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to create independently produced feature films, television programs and other original programming. Imagine Entertainment has been honored with more that 60 prestigious awards including 10 Academy Awards and 42 Emmy® awards. Past productions include the Academy Award Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind, as well as Grammy Award Best Film winner The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years. Additional films Get on Up, Rush, J. Edgar, Frost/Nixon, American Gangster, The Da Vinci Code, Apollo 13, 8 Mile, Liar, Liar, Backdraft, and Parenthood to name a few. Upcoming films include Lowriders, The Dark Tower, and American Made. Television productions include Fox’s Empire and 24 franchise, Nat Geo’s MARS and Breakthrough, NBC’s Parenthood, NBC’s Friday Night Lights, Fox’s and Netflix’s Arrested Development, as well as HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon, for which Howard and Grazer won the Emmy® for Outstanding Mini-Series. Upcoming television productions include Fox’s Shots Fired and Nat Geo’s Genius. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer began their collaboration in 1985 with the hit comedies Night Shift and Splash, and continue to run Imagine Entertainment as chairmen.

About OddLot Entertainment
Founded in 2001 by producer Gigi Pritzker, OddLot Entertainment is a film and television production company that develops, produces, finances and arranges distribution for quality commercial properties for the U.S. and international markets. OddLot teams with first-class filmmakers and provides them with resources that go far beyond equity investment to produce a range of high-quality films. Most recently, OddLot produced the Academy Award®-nominated film HELL OR HIGH WATER written by Taylor Sheridan and starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, for CBS Films. OddLot’s past releases include the 2010 Academy Award®-nominated drama RABBIT HOLE starring Nicole Kidman; THE WAY WAY BACK starring Steve Carell; “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling; the futuristic sci-fi film ENDER’S GAME; and Jon Stewart’s directorial debut, ROSEWATER. OddLot CEO Gigi Pritzker is part of a consortium that launched the film studio STX Entertainment founded by producer Robert Simonds. OddLot has a preferential co-producing, financing and development deal with STX. The company is based in Los Angeles, California and is a subsidiary of Madison Wells Media, a diversified premium content company.

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