The first season of National Geographic’s drama Genius focused on the first person you think of when people use that word: Albert Einstein. But for its second season, producers have looked a tad further to land on someone else you can’t help but label a genius: Pablo Picasso. Pivoting from the hallowed halls of academia and mathematics the show will next tackle the artistic talent of the Spanish painter whose works changed the way we look at art and the world alike.
Born Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso – no joke – the man behind Guernica, Les Demoiselles D’Avignon and The Old Guitarist, is the kind of character you couldn’t make up even if you tried. “The remarkable story of artistic visionary Pablo Picasso is the perfect subject for season two of Genius” said executive producer Ron Howard. “Picasso was a trailblazer who left a profound artistic and cultural impact on the world and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios in telling the untold story behind the brilliant individual.”
The question, of course, is who will play the famed artist. National Geographic managed to nab Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush for Albert Einstein; might they aim for an equally A-list player for season two? We know Antonio Banderas has long been interested in playing Picasso (his movie 33 días has been in development for years). But there’s also that other giant Spanish (and Oscar-winning) star. Javier Bardem has already tackled Reinaldo Arenas and Ramón Sampedro – surely he could add another iconic artist to his impressive acting roster.
Genius season two will premiere in 2018