MANHATTAN — Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg will produce Rebuilding Ground Zero, a six-part television series set to premiere on the Science Channel in 2011, the network announced Friday.
The series will chronicle the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site through interviews with architects, engineers, construction workers and city planners.
Spielberg will serve as executive producer and creative advisor.
Each episode will focus on one aspect of the reconstruction — from the 1,776-foot tower at One World Trade Center to the underground museum, memorial, park and transportation hub, all currently under construction.
"The rebuilding effort at Ground Zero is a compelling story of remembrance and renewal," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. "The fact that Steven Spielberg — one of the great filmmakers of our time — will produce a documentary on it ensures that the story will be brought to life for people around the world, for generations to come."
Science Channel cameras were granted special access to Ground Zero from the Port Authority and the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center.
Reconstruction at Ground Zero began in 2006, but has been plagued with delays. According to the Daily News, the World Trade Center won't be fully rebuilt and occupied until 2037.
The Port Authority has denied those reports, saying the memorial should be completed by 2011 and the tower in 2013.
Rebuilding Ground Zero will be produced by Spielberg's company, DreamWorks Television, and the Science Channel, in association with KPI, an Emmy award winning, New York City-based, production company. Jonathan Hock is the director.
