National Geographic Picks Up “Titanic Sinks Tonight”
Disney’s National Geographic has picked up the US rights to a new four-part dramatised documentary series, “Titanic Sinks Tonight”, which tells the story of the final hours of the most famous sea disaster of all time. From the crucial seconds before the ship hit the iceberg, to the final moments when the hull sank beneath the waves, the show uses virtual production technology to piece together the events, in real time, to reveal exactly what happened to the 2,208 passengers and crew on the night of April 14, 1912. It recreates dramatic elements using actors from Northern Ireland and combines this with documentary testimony.
National Geographic picked up the rights to the series for the United States and it will air on the National Geographic channel on June 22nd 2026. Expect to also see it released on Hulu and Disney+ in the US the day after.
Since the show was created by Sony Pictures Television, they’ve sold it to a number of different outlets around the world, including the BBC in the UK, TVNZ in New Zealand, MGM+ in many countries across Europe and HBO Max picked up the show for Latin America.
Jason Spivak and Mike Wald, Co-Presidents, Distribution & Networks, SPT, said in a statement regarding the show being sold to many different platforms around the world.
“The strong international response to Titanic Sinks Tonight reflects the global appetite for premium, differentiated storytelling that can travel across platforms and territories. With its innovative production approach and compelling subject matter, the series has resonated strongly with viewers in the UK and with global partners. We can’t wait for audiences worldwide to experience the Titanic story in an entirely new way.”
It stars Tyger Drew-Honey (as Harold Bride), Charlotte McCurry (Eleanor Cassebeer), Patrick Buchanan (Bruce Ismay), Adam Rhys-Charles (Charles Lightoller), Lisa Dwyer-Hogg (Charlotte Collyer), Rhys Mannion (Jack Thayer), Vicky Allen (Violet Jessop), Hannah Wengård (Anna Sjoblom), Ethan McHale (Joseph Boxhall), Candida Gubbins (Lucy Duff Gordon), Steffan Boje (Cosmo Duff Gordon), Andrew Doherty (Eugene Daly) Charlotte Lavery (Marjorie Collyer), Sara Diab (Celiney Yazbeck), Oisin Thompson (Officer Lowe), Dino Luca (Thomas Dillon), Ciaran McCourt (Fred Barrett), Gerry O’Brien (Captain Smith), Parnell Scott (Jack Phillips), Michael Johnston (Harvey Collyer), Matthew Cassidy (Fred Fleet), Jonny Everett (Thomas Andrews), Killian Filan (Daniel Buckley), Forrest Bothwell (Herbert Stone) and Ian Davidson (Harold Cottam).
“Titanic Sinks Tonight” was produced by Sony-backed Stellify Media and EP’d by Stellify’s Kieran Doherty and Matthew Worthy. It was filmed using virtual production tech at Studio Ulster with support from Northern Ireland Screen and actors from Northern Ireland. Fiona Keane is the executive producer for BBC Northern Ireland, and Simon Young is the commissioning editor for BBC Factual.
Roger’s Take: This is a great pickup for Disney, it’s just a shame they couldn’t get the global rights to it, but it looks like Sony went out to try to sell it to as many people as possible for as much as possible. For people interested in a different take on the classic Titanic story, this is certainly going to be a great addition to this summer’s lineup.
Are you going to be checking out this new series? Let me know on social media!
