Knauf began in health insurance and wrote his way onto HBO with his groundbreaking series, Carnivàle. Since then he has written and produced The Blacklist and Spartacus: Blood and Sand among other projects. His latest series is The Astronauts for Nickelodeon, in which he serves as the show's Executive producer, writer and showrunner.
In The Astronauts, the spaceship Odyssey II is set to launch to investigate a mysterious asteroid passing by Earth. A group of kids who gathered to watch the lift-off sneak onto the empty ship with their parent’s security clearance before the event, and accidentally initiate the launch sequence. Blasting off into space with no proper training, a malfunctioning onboard AI system, and their parents watching from Earth, the kids embark on a journey of survival using only their smarts and friendship as tools.
In the interview, Knauf talks about his writing process, the entertainment business, his hopes for the new series, and how Nickelodeon is the best entertainment company he's ever worked with.
During the interview, Knauf revealed that The Astronauts will be "surprisingly dark", with Samy (Miya Cech, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Always Be My Maybe), who, following in her mother's footsteps becomes the de-facto commander of the ship, telling her crew that they'll have to work together, otherwise they'll die in the second episode. The series is shot over two soundstages, and will be more like a dramedy rather than a comedy - although there'll be serious moments, viewers can also expect to see funny circumstances and characters say humorous lines.
Knauf also revealed that the show will have a more commercial space program "Elon Musk/SpaceX" vibe rather than a NASA one. In the series, the ship the kids are stranded on is a former cargo ship repurposed for a new mission. Knauf promises that viewers have never see a ship like this before!
In the interview, Knauf also revealed that Nickelodeon had originally planned to premiere The Astronauts in August, however, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the release date for The Astronauts will probably now be September/October - however, it could even December.
The cast and crew managed to film four episodes The Astronauts before production had to be shut down due to COVID-19, with filming slated to recommence in July. However, the special effects artists on the show have been busy during the lockdown making all the special effects for the series.
Listen to Ricochet's interview with Daniel Knauf on Apple Podcasts!
Fans can find out more about Daniel Knauf and the projects he's worked on - including bibles for "unseen" shows that didn't make it to air, at Knauf.tv.
In The Astronauts, the group traveling together through space are: Samantha “Samy” Sawyer-Wei, played by Miya Cech (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Always Be My Maybe); Elliott Combs, played by Bryce Gheisar (Wonder, A Dog’s Purpose); Martin Taylor, played by Keith L. Williams (Good Boys, The Last Man on Earth); Doria Taylor, played by Kayden Grace Swan (A Black Lady Sketch Show); and Will Rivers, played by Ben Daon (Child’s Play). Matilda, the ship’s onboard AI system is voiced by Paige Howard (The Employer, Adventureland).
The Astronauts is executive produced by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber. Executive producer Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle, The Blacklist) also serves as writer and showrunner. The series is directed by DGA Award nominee Dean Israelite (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Power Rangers movie, Project Almanac) who also serves as an executive producer, Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, The Orville), and Marcus Stokes (Criminal Minds, The Flash, 911). Will Davis serves as creative executive for Imagine Kids+Family.
Production of The Astronauts for Nickelodeon is overseen by Shauna Phelan, Senior Vice President, Scripted Content for Nickelodeon. Brian Banks serves as Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series.
The Astronauts underscores a key element of Nickelodeon's content strategy, to create co-viewing opportunities for today's kids and parents who increasingly use TV time as family time and are looking for entertainment options holding appeal for everyone. Nick's new content slate is informed by insights into today's kids, who: are the most diverse generation ever and expect to see themselves authentically represented in media and in the world around them; want to make a positive difference in the world as they grow up; consider social media stars as their top role models, alongside their parents; and increasingly meet their much-desired need for family time by co-viewing entertainment content together.
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