Will Smith travels 26,000 miles for new series; Magic Johnson docuseries ‘They Call Me Magic’ coming; and more

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After starring as the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams in King RichardWill Smith has a new and much more demanding challenge for his latest project. The Bad Boys franchise star will travel 26,000 miles, from the South Pole to the North Pole, for his new National Geographic series, Pole to Pole, according to Deadline

Following his previous series for the network, Welcome to Earth and One Strange Rock, this time Will’s goal is to unlock the mystery of Earth’s diversity and alchemy in 100 days of filming. He will experience polar ice, desert, jungle, mountain, and swamp, and live with local communities in some of the most extreme landscapes on the planet

In other news, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the subject of a new four-part docuseries which will stream April 22 on Apple TV+. They Call Me Magic will tell the story of the charismatic star who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s. In 1991, Johnson became one of the first athletes to announce he had contracted HIV. He abruptly retired from the league, though he returned four years later in 1996 to play 32 games for the Lakers.

Magic was a member of the “Dream Team” which won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Finally, Apple TV+ has also dropped the trailer for the six-episode drama series The Last Day of Ptolemy Grey, starring Samuel L. Jackson in the title role. Grey suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and is assigned care of his orphaned teenager. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey debuts Friday, March 11 on Apple TV+.

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