MUMBAI: Actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver joins Discovery Channel as narrator for Planet Earth, slated to premiere in the US on the Discovery Channel on 25 March 2007.

Planet Earth promises to amaze viewers with never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time, and unprecedented high definition production techniques. More than five years in the making, Planet Earth redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking Planet Earth airs on consecutive Sundays from 25 March through 22 April 2007.

The BBC produced show will include the first footage of the rarely seen snow leopard hunting in the Himalayas; lions hunting and killing elephants in the middle of the night; and the Blue Bird of Paradise performing a mating ritual, captured for the first time on film, informs an official release.

70 camera operators spent over 2,000 days in the field visiting more than 200 locations to document nature's greatest spectacles. Locations filmed for the first time include the Gobi Desert covered in snow; unique access to the Arctic island of Kong Karls Land -- home to the world's highest densities of polar bears; and the first high-quality aerial sequences of Mount Everest.

Sigourney Weaver is an active conservationist. She serves as honorary chair to the board of trustees of The Dian Fosse Gorilla Fund and recently drew international attention during a United Nations press conference on the threat to ocean habitat posed by deep sea trawling.

"The Planet Earth series is like a wonderful ride through our world," said Weaver. "Whatever fascinates you the most...whether it be caves or deep sea, deserts or mountains, you're in for such a treat. The camera work is so extraordinary and it's as if you're an animal living in that world...you become part of that world."

Bank of America is the presenting sponsor of the Planet Earth series.