Netflix is ringing in America’s 250th anniversary with a new documentary by Brian Knappenberger.
The streamer will premiere a five-part documentary about the founding and future of democracy in the U.S. called The American Experiment on June 24. Featuring interviews with former and current lawmakers, former vice presidents and cabinet members, a former Supreme Court justice, historians, tribal leaders and military experts, the film is being marketed as a nuanced take on how America wrestled with some early contradictions in its quest to form a new kind of government.
Former vice presidents Al Gore, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former associate Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, Senators Ted Cruz, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rand Paul and Ron Wyden, U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin and Zoe Lofgren and former U.S. national security advisor H.R. McMaster are just some of the boldfaced names that will appear in the documentary.
And à la Ken Burns, the documentary will additionally feature voice actors as iconic historical figures, such as Martin Sheen playing George Washington. According to Netflix, the documentary will cover the Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Constitution and George Washington’s presidency as it poses the question of whether this form of democracy can endure.
“The approaching 250th anniversary of the United States offers a distinct opportunity to reflect on America’s founding and its future,” Netflix’s vp of documentary Adam Del Deo said in a statement. “The American Experiment presents an expansive dialogue about how American democracy has been built, challenged and reimagined over nearly two and a half centuries. By revisiting the origins of this experiment at such a pivotal moment, the series invites audiences to consider not just where America has been, but where it might go next.”
Director Knappenberger previously wrestled with the First Amendment, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Vietnam War and the Cold War in documentaries including Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press, Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War and Turning Point: The Vietnam War.
He has also helmed an array of stories about hacktivism and the criminal justice system such as The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez and Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet.
The American Experiment is produced by Tom Hanks’ shingle Playtone and Luminant and executive produced by Knappenberger, Hanks, Sarah Huiseng and Gary Goetzman.