A&E Networks has ordered “The Impossible Live,” a stunt series that features people with a death wish attempting ridiculous feats, like jumping out of a plane onto a speeding train without a parachute.
Hailing from Essential Media Group, “The Impossible Live” (working title) will feature “the world’s greatest daredevils attempting the most death-defying stunts ever seen on live television; including a parachute-less jump from a plane onto a speeding train, a motorcycle jump off a cliff in which the daredevil must drop the bike and grab on to the skids of a passing helicopter before the motorcycle plummets to the ground below; and the highest wire walk ever attempted from one hot air balloon to another,” according to A&E. Five two-hour episodes are planned.
The series will begin pre-production this fall.
Attempting the hot air balloon wire walk will be seventh-generation performer Bello Nock (pictured above), along with his “dare-daughter” Annaliese.
“The Impossible Live’ will take viewers on a wild ride as they witness, in real time, the world’s greatest daredevils risking life and limb to pull off stunts worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster film, but without the benefits of retakes and CGI,” said Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E. “The excitement of pulling off the impossible is why we have been working together with Bello, his team and Essential for the last year to continue to develop the biggest stunt of them all.”
A&E and Essential have also been partnering with Nock and his company Opportunity Nocks, Inc. to create “Volcano Walk Live” (working title), another live stunt special showcasing what A&E calls the “longest, most complicated and dangerous stunt ever attempted – a world record high-wire walk over an active volcano.”
“We’ve spent two years traveling the world with top volcanologists and engineers planning this untethered world record-breaking high-wire walk,” Nock said. “We first considered a volcano in Nicaragua but recent geological events have made the lava lake too small so we decided on a larger, more active and far more challenging volcano in East Africa. This is the wire walk that no one will ever be able to top!”
“The Impossible Live” and “Volcano Walk Live” are produced and developed by Essential Media Group, part of the KEW Media Group, with Jesse Fawcett, Greg Quail and Chris Hilton serving as executive producers. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro, and Brad Holcman will executive produce for A&E.