Tom Hiddleston and Loki Producer Kevin R. Wright Launch Production Company, Host New Nat Geo Series

Tom Hiddleston and Loki executive producer Kevin R. Wright have co-founded a new production company together called Ithaca, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The duo are also collaborating on a new National Geographic series, Pompeii: Out of Time, which Hiddleston will host.

Wright, who left Marvel Studios to start the venture, and Hiddleston described their creative partnership in glowing terms. "I said to Kevin, ‘I would love to keep working with you. I love our partnership. I love how we think. I love how we make things,’" Hiddleston told THR. He compared their dynamic to a doubles tennis partnership where each covers the other's weaknesses.

What is 'Pompeii: Out of Time' about?

The three-episode docudrama is a historical exploration of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Hiddleston hosts the series, investigating the event by consulting experts and uncovering the stories of three real Romans: a teenage blacksmith apprentice, a businesswoman, and an unnamed Praetorian soldier. The show uses a unique narrative device where Hiddleston can revise and replay their dramatized stories as new information is discovered.

"These were real people with real lives who had the same concerns as we do," Hiddleston said. The actor's personal connection to the subject is deep, having studied ancient Greek and Roman studies at Cambridge and visited the archaeological sites as a teenager.

How is it connected to 'Loki'?

The project has a direct link to the Marvel series. In the second episode of Loki, the title character and Mobius time-travel to Pompeii moments before the eruption. Wright acknowledged that scene "certainly opened the door" for the Nat Geo series. "Very early on, we both knew that people were going to connect the dots," Wright said. "And we said, ‘Let’s not shy away from it.’"

The series incorporates a "phantom time twister" similar to the time mechanics in Loki, allowing Hiddleston to rewind or pause the action. Wright believes the storytelling techniques they developed on the Marvel show are effective for exploring history. "It feels like we’ve unlocked a new language and technique in this nonfiction space. It was like creating a multiverse," he said.

Looking ahead, Team Ithaca plans to pursue both fictional and documentary projects.