March 5, 2015 - 11:57 AMT
Leonardo DiCaprio, Netflix partnering for documentary projects

Leonardo DiCaprio and Netflix are partnering on upcoming documentary and docu-series projects, the streaming service announced Wednesday, March 4, according to TheWrap.

DiCaprio and his production company, Appian Way, have secured a first look deal for non-fiction projects to premiere exclusively on Netflix. Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Netflix and DiCaprio will work together to develop potential fact-based projects.

The projects will have a particular focus on environmental and conservation themes, including original documentaries and docu-series as well as acquired existing projects.

Netflix and DiCaprio first partnered on the documentary “Virunga,” which explored efforts to save some of the few remaining mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film earned a 2015 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

This marks another assertive move for Netflix into original content. In addition to its series slate, which includes hits “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards,” the company recently purchased the Idris Elba film “Beasts of No Nation” for a reported $12 million.

“Working with Netflix on ‘Virunga’ has sparked a shared vision about projects that we want to develop and bring to viewers,” DiCaprio said in a statement. “There’s never been a more critical time for our planet or more of a need for gifted storytellers to help us all make sense of the issues we face. Through this partnership with Netflix, I hope to give documentary filmmakers doing urgent and important work the chance to have their films seen immediately by audiences all around the world.”