History Preps 12-Hour 'Mankind the Story of All of Us' Miniseries

Following up on its look at Americans, History is casting its gaze further -- to all of mankind -- with a 12-hour miniseries.

Production is underway on Mankind the Story of All of Us (working title), a 12-hour, six-night event that will premiere later this year, according to network officials.

Mankind will mark the first global series premiere in the history of the network, as well as being flanked by a global educational initiative.

The miniseries will center on homo sapiens' brutal fight for survival. The odds have been against us at every turn -- over 99.9% of all species of the earth have gone extinct. This series examines what is unique about us to have made humans the dominant species on the planet.

History is once again working with the Nutopia production team, led by executive producers Jane Root, the former Discovery Channel executive, and Ben Goold, the team that made America the Story of Us an Emmy-winner in 2010 and the most-watched special in the network's history. Filming is under way in locations all over the world, including China, South Africa and Morocco.

"Mankind the Story of All of Us has the same spirit and daring storytelling that made America the Story of Us such a phenomenal success. But this time we're going even bigger. This series will redefine history as we know it for people throughout the world -- how it's told, how it's watched, taught and how it is experienced," Nancy Dubuc, History's president and general manager, said in a release. "We are traveling to every corner of the earth in order to portray the heroic story of man and the collective story of all of us. This is a shared adventure and it is an honor and a privilege to bring this story to our viewers."