'Genius' Season 2 Premiere Date Set, First Teaser Out; Season 3 Might Focus on a Woman
National Geographic confirmed the premiere date for "Genius" season 2. The series will return to the small screen in April with Antonio Banderas in the lead role. He'll play one of the world's most celebrated artists Pablo Picasso.
The network also came out with the second season's trailer featuring the life of the artist. It shows Banderas as Picasso in his '40s while Alex Rich will assume the role of the younger Picasso.
"Genius" season 2 will contain 10 episodes. Showrunner Ken Biller picked Picasso as its subject following Albert Einstein in the season because of his influence in modern art.
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"Pablo Picasso was someone who saw the world in a completely different way," the showrunner stated. "It was important to us to make a declarative statement. 'Genius' is not only about scientists."
Apart from his legacy in the world of art, Picasso's personal life had a rich history. Born in 1881, Picasso lived through two World Wars and established relationships with known figures like Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway and Jean Cocteau.
Banderas was the perfect choice to play the artist as both grew up in Spain. Banderas admitted that he was asked to portray Picasso several times in Hollywood but the National Geographic series came at the right time and with a great script.
"[He was] not only a man who was very capable at painting and drawing the reality," Banderas said. "But [he] put it in service of political and social context of his time."
Meanwhile, producers of "Genius" might look into a female personality to profile in the third season. They have started exploring potential women subjects since the show began but admitted problems in marketing since female geniuses aren't widely known as male geniuses in history.
"Genius" season 2 featuring the life story of Pablo Picasso will premiere on National Geographic on Tuesday, April 24, at 9:00 p.m. EST.
