National Geographic will profile Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the new season of its Genius scripted drama series.

The fourth installment of the Emmy-winning Genius franchise, which moves to Disney Plus from National Geographic, will for the first time profile two extraordinary individuals as it explores the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, dueling philosophies and key personal relationships of King and Malcolm X, said network officials. National Geographic had previously announced King as its lone fourth season subject.

Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood will serve as executive producers for the series along with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Raphael Jackson Jr., Damione Maceson, Francie Calfo, and Anna Culp also serve as executive producers.

The previous three Genius installments focused on Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin. 

“Malcolm and Martin are staggering icons, and we have been eager to explore the genius of these two very real men in a way that has not yet been seen,” said the Bythewoods in a statement. “We are excited to team up with Imagine Entertainment and 20th Television to reflect their amazing lives and contributions to civil rights and the urgency of today.” ■ 

OWN released a video sneak preview of its July 20 special OWN Spotlight: Oprah and Jennifer Hudson, featuring a Winfrey one-on-one interview with the singer/actress.

In the interview, Winfrey talks to Academy Award winner Hudson about her new Aretha Franklin biopic film, Respect, as well as being asked by the Queen of Soul to portray her in the movie, according to OWN. 

The special will be available on the WatchOWN app, as well as on Discovery Plus starting July 21. OWN Spotlight: Oprah and Jennifer Hudson is executive produced by Winfrey and Tara Montgomery.

National Geographic has set a March 21 date for the debut of its Genius: Aretha mini-series profiling the life of legendary R&B singer Aretha Franklin.

The eight-episode series stars Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul. Nat Geo will air two episodes each week over four consecutive nights beginning March 21, with episodes appearing on Hulu the day after airing. All episodes will be available for streaming on March 25, Franklin’s birthday. 

The network also announced four new unscripted projects from Free Solo producers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.

The deal includes two feature documentaries, a 10-part series and a one-hour pilot. The projects includes the feature documentary Thai Cave Rescue that chronicles the 2018 rescue of a boys’ soccer team trapped inside a flooded cave in Thailand. Another project profiles conservationist Kristine Tompkins, while Into the Unknown focuses on elite athletes, and Photographer profiles Nat Geo photographers. 

“Chai and Jimmy are masterful storytellers who bring unparalleled artistry and distinctive vision to everything they do,” said Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of scripted content and documentary films for National Geographic in a statement. “We are proud to continue our partnership with them to tell these profound stories in an authentic yet innovative way.”

National Geographic previewed its Genius: Aretha series Sunday night during the Academy Awards, three months before the show's Memorial Day premiere. 

The eight-part series, the third installment in National Geographic's Genius anthology series, stars Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul. Also starring in the series are Courtney B. Vance, Malcolm Barrett, Patrice Covington and Marque Richardson.

National Geographic has signed Cynthia Erivo as the lead for its upcoming series Genius: Aretha, the network announced Thursday.

The Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) will star as Aretha Franklin in the series, which will focus on the life of the Queen of Soul, said the network. Genius: Aretha is the third installment of the Genius franchise, following shows based on the lives of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

“The fabulously talented Cynthia Erivo is dream casting to play iconic musical genius Aretha Franklin,” said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of global scripted content and documentary films for National Geographic. “On the heels of her Tony Award-winning turn in The Color Purple and breakout performance in upcoming feature film Harriet, we can’t wait to see Cynthia bring her fierceness to the role as the Queen of Soul.”

Related: Nat Geo Enjoying The View From Emmy Heights 

Added Erivo: “Aretha Franklin has been a source of inspiration for me since I was a little girl. Her strength, passion and soul are evident in her everlasting legacy, not only as a transcendent artist, but as a humanitarian and civil rights icon. To have the opportunity to bring her legacy to life and show the fullness of her being, her humanity and brilliance, is an honor.”

National Geographic will profile the life of music legend Aretha Franklin in the next installment of its Genius anthology series, with Pulitzer Prize award-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks serving as executive producer, the network announced Sunday during the 2019 TCA winter press tour.

Genius: Aretha Franklin will chronicle the life of the Queen of Soul, who passed away in 2018. Franklin follows Genius installments on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

Parks will serve as showrunner for the third season of the anthology series, with veteran music producer Clive Davis — along with Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman — serving as executive producers. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo will also serve as executive producers, according to Nat Geo executives.

Related: National Geographic to Premiere 'Free Solo' Commercial Free in March

In other Nat Geo TCA news, the network has secured the rights to NBC’s non-fiction series RunningWild With Bear Grylls, which is currently in production and slated to premiere in December 2019.

-- The network has greenlit to series The Right Stuff, an adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s best-selling nonfiction account of the early days of the U.S. space program. Production will begin this Fall 2019.

-- Premiere dates for several new and existing series include The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (March 5), Hostile Planet (April 1), Science Fair (May 9), The Hot Zone (May 27), Going Viral (May 2019), Yellowstone Live (June 2019), and Apollo: Mission to the Moon (July 2019).

Broadcast and cable networks will sing the praises of Aretha Franklin this weekend with special programming honoring the "Queen of Soul," who passed away Thursday.

Tonight (Aug. 17), PBS will air a special, Aretha! Queen Of Soul, which will feature archival footage from Franklin's career, along with interviews that will highlight her legacy, according to network officials.

Saturday, OWN re-air Oprah Winfrey’s 1999 television interview with Franklin from The Oprah Winfrey Show, while TV One will run an encore of two Franklin specials, TV One on One: Aretha Franklin and Aretha: Frankly Speaking.

Digital multicast TV network getTV on Sunday will pay its respects to Franklin with a rarely seen December 1967 episode of The Kraft Music Hall music variety series, featuring Franklin performing two of the biggest hits of her career, Respect and Chain Of Fools.

BET’s BET Her network on Monday will air a morning marathon of the prolific artist’s many music videos. BET Networks president Scott Mills said in a statement that Franklin’s extraordinary talents laid the groundwork for so many of today’s artists. 

“Aretha Franklin was a musical phenomenon and an iconic figure in black culture,” Mills said. “We will remember and miss her dearly.”