He was once the king of the world and now, thanks to a new partnership with Netflix, Leonardo DiCaprio could well rule the documentary making scene.

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The actor, producer and philanthropist and his production company, Appian Way, will partner with Netflix to produce documentaries and docu-series as part of a new first look deal. They'll work together on non-fiction projects that will premiere exclusively on the streaming service.

DiCaprio previously worked with Netflix on Virunga, a documentary about the conservation work of rangers within Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the activity of a British company, Soco International, which began exploring for oil within the UNESCO World Heritage site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu-vjWd7Tb8

The project garnered a 2015 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

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This new multi-year deal will see the partnership expand as Netflix and DiCaprio work together to identify and develop potential fact-based projects, with a particular focus on environmental and conservation themes. They'll produce new documentaries and docu-series but also seek to acquire existing projects.

"Working with Netflix on Virunga has sparked a shared vision about projects that we want to develop and bring to viewers," said DiCaprio.

"There’s never been a more critical time for our planet or more of a need for gifted storytellers to help us all make sense of the issues we face. Through this partnership with Netflix, I hope to give documentary film-makers doing urgent and important work the chance to have their films seen immediately by audiences all around the world."

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Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos seemed equally excited about what he called a "natural extension" of the streaming service's "incredible relationship" with Di Caprio. "We look forward to building on our shared success with more thought-provoking, high-quality documentaries and docu-series" he said.

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