Netflix Scales New Heights with Acquisition of 'Mountain Queen' Documentary
Netflix confirms a worldwide acquisition of the documentary, Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, securing this deal at the Toronto Film Festival, Deadline reports. This deal is one of two recent coups for the streaming titan, who spent a cool $11 million less than 12 hours earlier to acquire Anna Kendrick’s first foray into directing, Woman of The Hour. The monetary details of the Sherpa documentary, however, have been kept under wraps.
At the heart of the Mountain Queen documentary lies the extraordinary life of Lhakpa Sherpa, the first Nepalese woman to not just conquer, but survive Mount Everest. While this in itself would crown most resumes, it was merely an ascent in Sherpa's incredible journey. The heroine of our story now navigates life as a single mother of three in Connecticut, her summit exploits part of her stunning past.
The documentary springs from the creative wells of SK Global Entertainment, OBB Pictures, and Avocados and Coconuts. Lucy Walker, a double Oscar nominee, directs the film, bringing to the screen yet another Everest-centric tale following her acclaimed 2006 documentary, Blindsight, which also showcased a female Everest climber. A host of seasoned producers including Charlie Corwin for SK Global Entertainment, Michael D. Ratner, and Miranda Sherman with OBB Pictures collaborated alongside Dalia Burde and Christopher Newman for Avocados and Coconuts. Sidney Kimmel, Brian Kornreich, and Jo Henriquez for SK Global, Scott Ratner for OBB, Amani King for Avocados and Coconuts, with Walker herself, served as executive producers.
On Friday, September 8, Mountain Queen showcased a work-in-progress screening at TIFF and is slated to stream globally on Netflix in 2024. The masterminds at CAA Media Finance brokered this deal.
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Okay, now the mountain has been scaled, let's talk about the view. Setting out on a journey from Netflix's bottomless wallet, our first stop is the recent acquisition streak. An $11 Million directorial debut? Anna Kendrick must be singing her way to the bank, while the Netflix bigwigs bask in their shiny new baubles.
Taken at face value, Mountain Queen is another documentary amid an ocean of choice. But look closer. Look at Lhakpa Sherpa, a woman who scaled the summit of Everest and then came home to scale the Everest of single motherhood. From the cold Himalayan heights to Connecticut, it's like she traded the Yeti for the PTA. Ice axe for an ice pack, anyone?
And let's spare a thought for the aptly named Avocados and Coconuts, one of the production companies in this endeavor. Let's hope there were no financial pits or hairy situations involved.
Lucy Walker, we salute you. Between Blindsight and Mountain Queen, this woman is raising the bar for climbing-based documentaries to dizzying heights. At this point, she might as well consider Everest her second home. Think she's got a loyalty card for the Sherpa guides by now?
Lastly, patience is key, fellow Netflix-addicts. The release date of 2024 means the journey to the top will be unhurried. But if Lhakpa Sherpa's exploits have taught us anything, it's that the arduous journey only makes the summit that much sweeter. In the meantime, perhaps Netflix can suggest other mountain-climbing documentaries to keep us going. They seem to have an avalanche of them.
