Hunting for 'Hunter'
Irwin's a tough act to follow at Animal Planet
|
Now Discovery must fill the void left by the death of the man who became its best-known star.
Irwin, 44, died Sept. 4 from a stingray attack while filming near Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Animal Planet already has the outgoing and adventurous Jeff Corwin on air in "Corwin's Quest" and this spring it will bow its first femme animal explorer, Rachel Reenstra, in "Ms. Adventure."
But it will be hard-pressed to replace Irwin.
John Stainton, who set up production shingle the Best Picture Show Co. with Irwin and Judi Bailey, believes Irwin's 8-year-old daughter Bindi could be a candidate one day.
Irwin was gathering footage for a tyke-skewed program he intended to make with Bindi for Animal Planet Kids when he was killed.
On Sept. 20, Bindi read a moving eulogy to her father in front of 5,000 mourners at the public memorial at the Crocoseum that Irwin built at Australia Zoo, the Queensland facility created by his parents.
Hourlong memorial, attended by Australia's Prime Minister John Howard, opposition leader Kim Beazley, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and a host of celeb pals including Russell Crowe, was broadcast live by pubcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and commercial nets Nine and Seven.
Produced by the Best Picture Show Co., it also was carried by Animal Planet channels live in Europe and tape-delayed in the U.S.
"Pretty much every channel worldwide will be taking some form of his memorial," says Rebecca Batties, Animal Planet's exec veep, international.
Animal Planet dedicated Sept. 10 as Steve Irwin Day, and Batties says programs drew sizable auds internationally.
"We're going to continue our commitment to keep his content on air," Batties says, adding a decision about the tyke show with Bindi "rests with Steve's family."
Stainton hopes Bindi will continue her father's conservation work, as she has said she will.
Animal Planet is already unspooling internationally "New Breed Vets," six hourlong episodes in which Irwin interviews vets around the world who are on the cutting edge of animal health science.
Also airing worldwide are six series of "The Crocodile Hunter" and two seasons of Steve and wife Teri Irwin's kid skein "The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files."
"Ocean's Deadliest," which took Irwin to the Great Barrier Reef, is an hourlong special that will be completed for broadcast in 2007.
Stainton confirmed in the days after Irwin's death that the Best Picture Show Co. has considerable unseen footage of Irwin that could be packaged for broadcast.
"That will be part of our discussions with Stainton," Batties says.
