|
Posted on February 19, 2025 by Neil Cole
ABC News announced today a primetime special, "Will Reeve: Finding My Father," in which ABC News correspondent Will Reeve takes audiences along with him on a journey he has been dreaming of making for 30 years: reliving the last great expedition his father and "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve took in 1995 just before a horse riding accident left him paralyzed with a spinal cord injury when Will was only 2 years old. Right before the accident, Christopher Reeve had been filming a documentary tracking the migration of the Pacific gray whale, traveling to a tiny Alaskan island near Siberia and a remote lagoon in Baja, Mexico. Now, Will Reeve sets out to finish the story for him in the hope of drawing closer to the man his father was before his accident.
In this primetime docu-special, which is a production of ABC News Studios in association with Cobble Hill Films, Will Reeve retraces his father's journey, returning to the places his father visited 30 years ago, and shares never-before-seen family home videos and photos of his dad at the time. Along the way, he meets the sons of two local guides who were part of his father's original expedition and their families, as well as other locals who Christopher Reeve encountered on his journey. Will Reeve also experiences the majesty of gray whales up close and hears untold stories about his dad for the first time, all while exploring the enduring bond between parents and their children and gaining a deeper connection to his father's lasting legacy.
"For most of my life, I've been fascinated by the idea of taking this trip, which was not only important to my father but shaped my understanding of his life before the accident," said Will Reeve. "Walking in his footsteps - in this setting that my father was drawn to - meeting some of the same people and hearing their shared stories about my dad exceeded my expectations, and, in truth, it surprised me that I can still have new understanding of him."
"Will Reeve: Finding My Father" airs Wednesday, Feb. 26 (10:02 p.m. EST), on ABC and streams next day on Hulu. The special is a production of ABC News Studios in association with Cobble Hill Films. David Sloan is senior executive producer. Jeanmarie Condon, Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer are executive producers. Jeanmarie Condon is director.