With the 50th anniversary coming next year, a Jaws documentary backed by National Geographic and Amblin is in the works.
With a working title of Jaws @ 50, the Jaws documentary will focus on both the Steven Spielberg movie and the Peter Benchley novel that birthed it.
The documentary will include footage and photography from the Benchley and Spielberg archives. It will also examine how the blockbuster gave rise to a new generation of shark obsessives. It will be made in collaboration with ocean conservation and marine policy advocate Wendy Benchley, Peter’s wife.
When and where can you watch the Jaws documentary?
A summer 2025 release is currently penciled in for National Geographic. A streaming release is also coming for Disney+ and Hulu.
There’s quite a story behind the making of the film. It has had a torrid development for a variety of reasons. Director Laurent Bouzereau already has experience with Spielberg and his breakout blockbuster. Bouzereau wrote the book Spielberg: The First Ten Years. In that, he already spoke to the filmmaker about the making of Jaws.
On the directorial front, Bouzereau currently has films in the works on the lives of actress Faye Dunaway and longtime Spielberg collaborator and composer John Williams.
“Jaws, the novel by Peter Benchley and the film by Steven Spielberg, defined both popular literature and cinema,” said Amblin’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey. “The idea of diving into the past, present, and future legacy of Jaws, combined with an informed and inspiring discussion about sharks and the ocean in one documentary, is a unique opportunity to explore the perfect union between art and science.”
The story of the making of Jaws the film was turned into a Broadway and West End play. The Shark is Broken was created by Ian Shaw, the son of Jaws actor Robert Shaw. Richard Dreyfuss, also a star in Jaws, was not a fan of how he was represented in the play.
