Makers of the "Free Solo" documentary about Alex Honnold's unaided climb up the rock face of Yosemite's El Capitan say they would have still made the film if Honnold had slipped and fell to his death.
Film editor Bob Eisenhardt said that he believed the film would have been completed to honor Honnold's memory.
"We were going to make it either way," he said at a news conference where The National Geographic network said "Free Solo" will make its television debut March 3. It will be shown without commercials.
The pulse-pounding film about his quest has been nominated for an Academy Award and been a box office smash in a strong year for documentaries, second only to "Won't You Be My Neighbor" in earnings.
Honnold achieved his remarkable feat in just under four hours in June 2017. Without ropes or harnesses, he climbed using his chalk-dried hands and climbing shoes, grabbing onto cracks and crevasses. The danger is obvious in the sweeping views.