Ali, who won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight and Green Book, is narrating Chimp Empire, a four-part series for the streamer.
The series comes from director James Reed, who won an Oscar for co-directing Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher. It is his latest chimp doc, having been responsible for Rise of the Warrior Apes for Discovery.
Chimp Empire explores the world of the largest chimpanzee society ever discovered.
Set under the lush canopies of Uganda’s Ngogo Forest, scientists and field trackers have lived alongside this tribe for the last 25 years, watching as they built a sophisticated political and familial structure: forming alliances, building trust, caring for one another, and often going head to head in a never ending fight for power.
Reed and his team embedded a camera crew to capture an intimate look at the chimps of Ngogo, which saw some of the most tumultuous battles and dramatic changes in the tribe’s history. During the series, babies will grow, relationships will blossom, and leaders will rise and fall.
The series is produced by Keo Films, which also produced Rise of the Warrior Apes and Lucy The Human Chimp and Reed’s Underdog Films. Reed will exec produce with Keo Films’ Matt Cole. Callum Webster is series producer.
Chimp Empire will premiere on April 19, coming just ahead of Earth Day.
