Nat Geo to Air 50th Anniversary ‘Jaws’ Special During SharkFest 2025

Can you believe it’s been almost 50 years since Jaws had Americans running to theaters (and away from beaches)?

In honor of this anniversary, Nat Geo and Disney+ plan to air a special behind-the-scenes look at the classic blockbuster film, Jaws @ 50 (working title), featuring a look at the legendary tumultuous production of the film as well as the writing of the book by Peter Benchley, on which the film was based.

Jaws @ 50 will also include all-new interviews from film critics and testimonials from experts and scientists who have spent their lives studying sharks, as well as archival footage and photos from the production of the film. The documentary will air during Nat Geo’s annual SharkFest week in summer 2025, with Nedland Media’s Laurent Bouzereau on board to direct.

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“National Geographic has celebrated sharks for over two decades with our annual summer event Sharkfest, so we naturally jumped at the chance to partner with Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Media on Jaws @ 50,” said Janet Vissering, senior vice president of production and development at National Geographic. “Jaws not only became a massive pop culture phenomenon, but the initial fear it elicited propelled the world’s fascination with sharks, opening the door to our understanding of these apex predators and stressing the urgency in protecting our oceans.”

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“Jaws, the novel by Peter Benchley and the film by Steven Spielberg, defined both popular literature and cinema,” added Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, presidents of Amblin Documentaries and Amblin Television. “The idea of diving into the past, present and future legacy of Jaws, combined with an informed and inspiring discussion about sharks and the ocean in one documentary, is a unique opportunity to explore the perfect union between art and science.”

In 1975, People Were So Crazy for 'Jaws'-Related Content They Even Made Dickie Goodman's Goofy Novelty Song 'Mr. Jaws' Into a Hit

Released in Fall 1975, a few months after the blockbuster Jaws hit theaters, 'Mr. Jaws' was a spoken-word comedy record parodying the film that drew its humor from the 'break-in' technique of sampling lyrics from other popular songs.

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July 2021

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