History Channel acquires George Lucas documentaries

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The History Channel is launching five original series on its Web site and has acquired a collection of historical documentaries from George Lucas. The 94 never-before-seen documentaries are a companion to Lucas' "Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" TV movies. They are based on events that took place during the early part of the 20th century and provide context to the fictional adventures of the young Jones. Topics range from the history of slavery to biographies of Al Capone and Ernest Hemingway.

The documentaries will premiere on History.com in late 2007 and also will air on History International and History Classroom. The "Jones" TV movies will air on the History Channel and History International. The History Channel also is developing six specials, four of which are set to air in the fourth quarter: "A Global Warning," focusing on global warming; "Stalking Jihad," based on the upcoming book "Stalking Jihad in Paradise" by Mark Bowden ("Black Hawk Down") about a CIA mission to track down Islamic terrorists in the Philippines; "Lost Book of Nostradamus," an exclusive investigation into how a manuscript believed to have been written by Nostradamus ended up in Italy's National Library in Rome; and "Manhunt," centering on the 12-day hunt for John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated President Lincoln.

Other specials include the tentatively titled "Egypt Project," focusing on the accomplishments of the pharaoh Radjedef, son of Khufu, who built the Great Pyramids of Giza. It premieres in the first quarter. "China's First Emperor," which marks China Central Television's first major co-production with an American network, debuts in third-quarter 2008.