The first official trailer for the forthcoming Johnnie Walker documentary, The Man Who Walked Around the World, has officially arrived. Directed by BAFTA-award winner Antony Wonke, the upcoming film about the Scotch Whisky icon is set to premiere on Discovery’s portfolio of brands and services on November 12th
The 60 second preview for The Man Who Walked Around the World features contributions from Wu-Tang Clan’s Cappadonna, actress and activist Sophia Bush, rock musician Zakk Wylde, 88rising’s Sean Miyashiro, advertising legend Sir John Hegarty, and many more.
Following his account of the world’s biggest sports star in “Ronaldo” and capturing the journey of Star Wars in “The Director & the Jedi,” Wonke was inspired to turn his camera to the world’s largest Scotch Whisky brand after seeing the famous Striding Man show up time and again in films, music videos and bars wherever he travelled in the world.
“The symbol of the Striding Man seems to be everywhere in some shape or form and has taken on a significance of its own. It kind of transcended a brand to become truly iconic,” said the Oscar-nominated director. “We’ve been on an amazing journey, going through years’ worth of footage and speaking to people from all walks of life to create this film – actors, musicians, barmen, artists, activists and a whole host more. It’s a fantastic story.”
The Man Who Walked Around the World is an independent feature documentary created by Something Originals and produced by multi-award-winning production company Partizan. The film explores everything from the brand’s origins to the part it has played in legendary Hollywood films and in the music that has defined generations. It goes deep into the whisky’s cultural impact globally and looks at how, 200 years into its journey from local grocer to global icon, Johnnie Walker remains as relevant as ever.
“We are excited to see the first glimpse of The Man Who Walked Around the World and can’t wait to share the documentary with Discovery’s global audience of passionate fans,” said Discovery VP Content Sourcing and Acquisitions Myriam Lopez-Otazu.
“We’ve been looking forward to this moment ever since we heard about the documentary’s creation,” noted Diageo Global Scotch Director John Williams. “Johnnie Walker has an amazing story to tell and the way Anthony and Something™ Originals have crafted it is extremely exciting for us.”
SomethingOriginals Managing Partner Andy Hewitt commented: “For Johnnie Walker to open themselves up to an independent production in this way was a bold move. It was a leap of faith on their part, but they believed in us and in what we were trying to do. Anthony’s brilliant and we were always confident that together we could create an outstanding documentary feature that will live long in the memory.”