Billie Eilish’s “you should see me in a crown” is the perfect backdrop for National Geographic’s Queens trailer. Two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) narrates the documentary series that focuses on fierce females in the animal world.
The seven-part docuseries, which premieres on March 4, 2024, has a female-led production team that includes showrunner and writer Chloe Sarosh, and directors of photography Sophie Darlington and Justine Evans. Wildstar Films’ Vanessa Berlowitz and National Geographic’s Pamela Caragol serve as executive producers.
National Geographic released this description of the docuseries:
“Queens is bringing the natural world into focus through the female lens for the very first time. The series features matriarchies and female leaders from around the world to tell stories of sacrifice and resilience but also friendship and love. Each episode showcases matriarchs, from the peace-loving bonobos of the Congo basin to the ruthless jewel bees of Costa Rica to the powerful elephants of the Savanna.
Through watching their struggles, successes, and heartbreaks, we see the importance of intergenerational love and protection, the fierce lengths a mother will go to to have her children succeed, how the thirst for power can rip families apart, and how even in the face of tragedy, a mother must selflessly persevere.
Four years in the making, Queens leverages cutting-edge technology to reveal surprising insights into how females in the natural world rise to power, often relying on cooperation and wisdom over brute strength to get ahead. The intimate production captured many staggering moments within the animal kingdom for the first time, including rarely seen hyena infanticide, the first filming of bonobos in the canopy from tree platforms, color documentation of the Ngorongoro Crater through the night, and a development time-lapse of the Orchid bee brood.
The final episode of the series celebrates the women who have gone to the ends of the Earth and dedicated their lives to documenting and protecting animal queens.”
