“We’re not calling it science fiction, we’re calling it science factual,” Wilkes said. While the two companies have been in discussions for six months, the recent launch of the SpaceX Dragon vessel inspired the group to start thinking practically about planet-hopping. The group will consult with a range of experts including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to forecast practical technologies. P&G has also let creatives in their development labs, where the company is toying with the future of everyday items like laundry detergent — which will someday need to be made without water if it wants to travel to leave Earth.
“We thought, ‘What if we told a story of a family going to Mars? The adventure of going there is one thing, but suddenly there’s a group of people living there, and what would that look like?What would cause somebody on Earth to do that today? With everything going on today, moving to Mars is not such a terrible thought,” said Wilkes.
Marc Pritchard, P&G chief brand officer, said his company’s scientists “will bring nearly two centuries of experience in science and innovation in areas such as sustainability to help shape a story of what life and home on Mars could look like in the future.”
P&G, the maker of iconic household wares like Pampers diapers and Bounty paper towels, declared it was ready to enter the streaming wars in January when it announced a longform series deal with Stone Village Television, the production company behind such projects as NBC’s “Las Vegas” and the HBO miniseries “Empire Falls.” That deal is aimed at boosting themes of gender equality, diversity and inclusion.
Upcoming atImagine Docs is the 2020 Sundance selection “Rebuilding Paradise” at NatGeo, and “Supervillain: the Rise and Fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine,” and “Gossip With Cindy Adams” atShowtime, and a documentary on Julia Child from CNN films.
More from Variety
Loading comments...
Most Popular
Must Read
- Music
COVER | ‘My Job Is to F—ing Sing’: Bad Bunny on the 'Pride, Pain and Love' Behind His Massive Puerto Rico Residency
By Andrew Wallenstein
- Film
How Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ Endured a Hellish Production to Become Hollywood’s First Summer Blockbuster
- TV
‘This Is Real Life’: How Bravo’s ‘The Valley’ Navigated Drug Addiction, a Violent Incident and a Cast Member in a Mental Health…
- Music
Barbra Streisand on Her New Album, Not Being Paid Enough for ‘Meet the Fockers’ and if She’ll Ever Direct or Perform Live Again
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to ourTerms of Use and ourPrivacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the GooglePrivacy Policy andTerms of Service apply.
Variety Confidential
A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast
