Rock climber Alex Honold, known for his “free solo” feat of rising cliffs without the help of ropes and safety equipment, has set his sights on the new challenge, the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan. And this time, he’s doing it live on Netflix.
The two-hour special set, “Skyscraper Live,” takes time in early 2026, follows Honord as he tries to unlock the Taipei 101, the 101-storey skyscraper, the 11th tallest building in the world at 1,667 feet (and the tallest in Taiwan).
Brandon Riegg, VP of Netflix’s non-fiction series and sports, said the streamer’s “watching the latest global mustwatch live event…Alex Honnold Free Climb Taipei 101 will be an adrenaline-induced spectacle that you won’t be keeping an eye on,” he said. “Everyone is talking about it.”
Plimsoll Prods. Limited, part of ITV Studios, is producing specials. The company previously recorded Honnold feats in both Disney+ and National Geographic via the series “The Devil’s Climb” and “Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold.” Plimsoll is also behind live specials such as “Earth Live” and “Yellowstone Live” on both Nat Geo.
Earlier this month, Honord was discovered in Taipei 101 during a practice climb in Taipei 101, as recorded in TVBS News.
“The bold rise transformed downtown Taipei into an improvised amphitheater when crowds gathered to witness this unprecedented climb feat,” the report added. “The management of TAIPEI 101 has implemented strict safety protocols for climbing. All procedures were meticulously designed by a professional team and properly reported to the relevant authorities.
But what was not revealed at the time was that this was the prelude to the Netflix special early next year. Al Berman is also EPS’s showrunner and executive producer of Skyscraper Live, and executive producers of Whole Honnold, Grant Mansfield, James Smith, Alan Eyres and Jonathan Retseck. Joe Demaio is the director.
Honold is one of the world’s most famous climbers thanks to “Free Solo,” a documentary documenting the climbing of El Pitan’s 3,000-foot “free rider” route in Yosemite National Park. Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, 2018 Nat Geo Doc won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature, with Bafta for Best Documentary Feature and Seven Emmys.
Other notable free solo climbs by Honnold include Zion’s Moonlight Buttress, Yosemite’s Half Dome, and Yosemite’s “Triple Crown.” Honnold is also the author, co-host of the podcasts “Climbing Gold” and “Planet Visionary” and is the founder of the non-profit Honnold Foundation.
Netflix will also include series such as “WWE Raw” and “Dinner Live With David Chang,” live events include Paul vs. Tyson, “The Roast of Tom Brady,” “Jake vs. Tank,” Canelo vs. Crawford, Taylor vs. Serrano 3, and the NFL Christmas on Netflix AMD FIFA World Cup.
Plimsoll has worked on projects with talents such as David Attenborough, Pedro Pascal, Tom Hiddleston, Robin Roberts, Jeff Goldblum, Morgan Freeman, and Sigourney Weaver. That credit also includes the Awkwafina-Narated Disney+ series “A Real Bug’s Life” and “Super/Natural” narrated to James Cameron’s run-produced and Benedict Cumberbatch. Recent premiers include Hulu’s “Are you my first?” ITV’s “Sharks! Celebrity Insest Waters” Next is Netflix’s “Natural Nightmare” with Blumhouse TV.
