Two filmmakers hope to bring Bill Nye (yes, “The Science Guy”) back to the screen in a new documentary. David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg, who met in film school, have managed to bring Nye on board for the project, along with Nick Pampanella, Kate McLean, and Academy Award-winning film producer Seth Gordon. A Kickstarter campaign launched Monday to secure funding for the project.
As self-described “hardcore Bill Nye fans,” Alvarado and Sussberg remember his videos as a middle school staple, according to their Kickstarter page. Their goal is to explore the questions of “Who was the man behind the bow tie, and where is he now?” The documentary will look at his life and his ongoing “quest to change the world of science.”
It should be an interesting ride. As the filmmakers put it, viewers will get to follow Nye “as he tours the globe, advocates for space policy in Washington DC, launches a satellite, hangs out with Neil deGrasse Tyson, debates climate change deniers, and attempts to fill the big shoes of his former mentor and friend Carl Sagan — all at a time when science is under attack.” Along the way, we’ll no doubt get a hefty dose of the fun brand of humor that Nye incorporated into those videos we watched in school.
Production has begun on the documentary, and Alvarado and Sussberg aim to raise $650,000 between now and mid-August. Filming will run until the fall of 2016, and their goal is to finish it in time to apply to festivals in 2017. Those who contribute will be updated along the way, and will also be invited to a party with Nye in New York. There are even some pretty great Science Guy prizes: just picture your dog in a Bill Nye bow tie.
