| Alien Planet | |
|---|---|
 2009 DVD cover | |
| Genre | Speculative evolution Science fiction Nature documentary |
| Based on | Expedition by Wayne Barlowe |
| Written by | Peter Crabbe Steve Eder |
| Directed by | Pierre de Lespinois |
| Narrated by | John C. McGinley |
| Composer | Dean Grinsfelder |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Wayne Barlowe Pierre de Lespinois Tomi Landis Frances LoCascio |
| Producers | John Copeland James R. Cowan |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Production companies | Image Entertainment Meteor Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Channel |
| Release | 14 May 2005 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Alien Planet is a 2005 docufiction TV special created for the Discovery Channel. Based on the 1990 book Expedition by the artist and writer Wayne Barlowe, Alien Planet explores the imagined extraterrestrial life of the fictional planet Darwin IV in the style of a nature documentary. Although closely following Barlowe's depiction of Darwin IV, Alien Planet features a team of scientists and science fiction figures discussing Darwin IV as if it had actually been discovered. Among the people featured are Michio Kaku, Stephen Hawking, Jack Horner, James B. Garvin and George Lucas.
Alien Planet garnered positive reviews as a thought-provoking programme, though some criticism was raised concerning the strange creatures featured, which some reviewers saw as bordering on implausible.