Showtime Orders Climate Change Series From James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Weintraub

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Jerry Weintraub, left, James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Showtime is tackling climate change as part of a multi-episode documentary series titled Years of Living Dangerously.

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The event series, which will explore the human impact, is a collaboration of high-profile producers, actors and journalists including James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub, Arnold Schwarzenegger and 60 Minutes producers Joel Bach and David Gelber. Climate expert Daniel Abbasi will join the group as an executive producer. 

Stars including Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Alec Baldwin and likely Edward Norton will serve as first-person narrators on the ground. Other prominent names involved include three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman, two-time Pulitzer winner Nicholas Kristof, renowned columnist Mark Bittman and MSNBC host Chris Hayes. 

"The recent devastation on the East Coast is a tragic reminder of the direct link between our daily lives and climate change," said Showtime Networks' president of entertainment David Nevins, who has been vocal about his desire to bulk up the network's documentary portfolio. "This series presents a unique opportunity to combine the large-scale filmmaking styles of James Cameron, Jerry Weintraub and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- arguably some of Hollywood's biggest moviemakers -- with the hard-hitting, intimate journalism of 60 Minutes veterans Joel Bach and David Gelber. I believe this combination will make for a thought-provoking television event."

Said Cameron, a longtime environmental advocate: “We’ll make it exciting. We’ll make it investigative. We’ll bring people the truth. And people are always hungry for the truth.”

The effort, which The Hollywood Reporter reported on in early November, is expected to unfold over six to eight, one-hour episodes and is scheduled to air in 2013. More bold-faced names are expected to be announced in the coming months. The series will also be EPed by Maria Wilhelm (Avatar Alliance Foundation), along with seven-time Emmy winner Solly Granatstein (60 Minutes, Rock Center With Brian Williams) and Dr. Joseph Romm (ClimateProgress.org) as a co-executive producer as technical adviser, respectively.

Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose