Morgan Freeman Gives God Vibes in New Netflix Docuseries 'Our Universe'

Morgan Freeman could narrate a literal video of paint drying, and people would still watch it — but his latest narration project is sure to be much more interesting. Morgan Freeman lent his voice to Our Universe, an exciting new nature docuseries coming to Netflix.

When is Netflix’s Our Universe’s release date, and what else can you expect from the exciting documentary series?

Keep reading for all the details on the new show, which could make a perfect Thanksgiving weekend watch.

Presented by BBC Studios, Our Universe is a six-part docuseries that the team describes as “unprecedented” and “an epic tale 13.8 billion years in the making.”

In each 45 minute episode, viewers will experience stunning nature footage through a “magical realism lens. The gorgeous shots of nature were often taken with anamorphic lenses, and then combined with “cosmic” special effects, animation, and CGI, in an effort to “explore the connections that drive our natural world.”

Basically, Our Universe is not just about Earth and all of the amazing animals and nature on our home planet, but it also links everything that happens here to the greater universe.

“It's based in real science, but it's got a kind of fairy dust to it throughout,” showrunner Mike Davis explained in a Q&A shared with Green Matters. “We're telling this grand story – that gave us a certain license to be slightly more stylized about not only the way we film, but how we compose shots.”

For instance, the first episode, “Chasing Starlight,” focuses on a cheetah hunting for prey to feed her cubs in the Serengeti. The episode will connect the cheetah’s experience to the sun, reminding viewers how powerful the connections between different parts of the universe are.

“Telling the story of the universe is as big as it gets, but sometimes the scale of that can push us away from feeling that we are connected to it,” Executive Producer Andrew Cohen said in a filmmaker Q&A shared with Green Matters.

“But the story of the universe is the story of our planet, and it's the story of every living thing on the planet,” he continued. “We became obsessed with this idea of, ‘How can we connect the world that we recognize with the universe that conspired to create this world?’”

Morgan Freeman has played numerous roles — but he’s perhaps best known for playing God in Bruce Almighty.

“This is natural history with a very surprising twist,” Davis explained. “So we needed [Morgan Freeman’s] authority, and the familiarity of that "voice of God," as it were. We were amazed by how engaged Morgan was with the natural world. He really got the science and enjoyed it. It was a very collaborative experience, and had a lot to add to the script as well.”

That said, Morgan Freeman was recently in the news for something far less exciting than this docuseries.

In 2018, eight women accused Freeman of sexual harassment and other improper behavior, as reported by CNN at the time. Freeman denied the allegations, and one of the eight women stated that her remarks were taken out of context, and she was not actually uncomfortable with anything regarding Freeman, as per Essence.

And when the actor performed at the FIFA World Cup’s opening ceremony in Qatar on Sunday, Nov. 20, he received a lot of criticism for his appearance. The Daily Mail reported that some people were angry Freeman was chosen to narrate the ceremony after the allegations of harassment.

Meanwhile, others criticized Freeman for getting involved with the controversial 2022 World Cup, as per The Independent. Many other celebrities have refused to perform at the sporting event due to Qatar’s human rights issues.

All six episodes of Our Universe will premiere globally on Netflix on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. So as long as you have a Netflix login, the docuseries will be available for you to stream. The series could be a solid option to watch with your friends and family Thursday night, as you digest your Thanksgiving dinner.

And as of Nov. 18, Our Universe's original score, by Anne Nikitin and Jessica Jones, is available to stream wherever you get your music.