HBO Max Orders Series Based on ‘Calm’ App, Tabs Mahershala Ali, Nicole Kidman and Idris Elba to Narrate
HBO Max has ordered “A World of Calm,” a 10-episode series based on the “Calm” sleep and meditation app, Deadline reported Thursday.
A star-studded lineup, including Mahershala Ali, Nicole Kidman, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Zoë Kravitz, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy and Keanu Reeves, is slated to narrate episodes, which will also feature “mesmeric imagery.” The series is produced by Calm and the production company Nutopia.
“A timely antidote for our modern lives, each half-hour episode takes audiences on an immersive visual journey into another world. Building on Calm’s Sleep Stories – bedtime stories for grown-ups – each relaxing tale is designed to transform how you feel,” HBO Max said of the series. “Viewers will be transported into tranquility through scientifically engineered narratives, enchanting music and astounding footage to naturally calm the body and soothe the mind.”
Jane Root, Nicola Moody, Michael Acton Smith and Chris Advansun will executive produce the series, and Sara Brailsford and Fiona Caldwell are co-executive producers.
“With the considerable amount of stress and chaos we are all experiencing at this particularly challenging time, we could all use a bit of guided relaxation, and ‘A World of Calm’ is here to help,” said Jennifer O’Connell, EVP of non-fiction and kids programming at HBO Max.
The series is the new streamer’s first foray into the health and wellness space. Its originals at launch included romantic comedy anthology series “Love Life, documentaries “On the Record” and “Expecting Amy,” docuseries “The House of Ho” and a handful of reality programming. Earlier this month, HBO Max also ordered animated series “Young Love,” a sequel to the Oscar-winning short film “Hair Love.”