In Production: HBO’s New Docuseries Revisits the True Story of Free Willy’s Keiko

HBO Documentary Films and Raw are currently in production on an untitled documentary series which will tell the story of the release of Keiko, a captive orca and star of the blockbuster hit, Free Willy. The film will be directed by Becky Read.

Free Willy told the story of a boy who befriends an orca and makes it his mission to help save his friend from a life of captivity. After its premiere in the nineties, the film sparked debate as fans were outraged that Keiko’s confinement directly contradicts the message of the film. Keiko became the focus of a real life campaign for freedom.

After being held in a marine park for years, Keiko’s poor health and cramped conditions drew public concern. In response to a massive international effort funded by donations and organizations, he was transported from an amusement park in Mexico City to a custom-built rehabilitation facility.

After regaining strength, Keiko was relocated to a sea pen in Iceland and gradually reintroduced to the wild. Though he learned to hunt and traveled freely, Keiko continued seeking human contact and never fully reintegrated with wild orcas. He only lasted in the wild for five years before dying of pneumonia in 2003.

Keiko’s story triggered mass outrage throughout the world, bringing the ethics of animal captivity into question.

According to the ambassador of Keiko: An Untold Story, film documenting the orca’s life after his release, “Keiko died three years after arriving in Iceland, but he died in the ocean, not in a “bucket” located in one of the most crowded and polluted cities in the world. I wish the same for the rest of captive Orcas.”

Read says, “I’m delighted to be partnering with HBO and Raw on this rich, complex story about our relationship to the natural world. I’m excited to bring some new voices to the screen to tell the story of Keiko’s life and chronicle a remarkable human endeavor by a group sometimes divided over the goal, but united by their good intentions.”

The documentary series will premiere on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.