VANCOUVER, BC, and LOS ANGELES, CA, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ - Lions Gate
Television, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment (TSE and AMEX: LGF), today
announced a slate of series in development for Showtime, USA Network, PAX TV
and syndication. In addition, Kevin Beggs, Executive Vice President, Lions
Gate Television, announced a slate of feature films to be produced in
association with Lions Gate Films and released under the Avalanche label.
The expansion of Lions Gate's television business into high-growth new
genres reflects another step in the company's previously-announced financial
and strategic initiatives to increase Lions Gate's motion picture and
television production and distribution, extend the company's global reach and
leverage its filmed entertainment content into new markets and media.
"Lions Gate is establishing itself as a leading mini major studio with
significant presence in all aspects of filmed entertainment," Beggs said. "As
part of that effort, we are aggressively pursuing promising opportunities in
the television division that we believe will lead to a major increase in
television production. At the same time, our experience producing quality
productions at a price has led to our expansion into feature films, working
closely with Lions Gate Films. The synergy between Lions Gate divisions also
has allowed us to have international and home video deals in place before we
begin shooting."
The series for which development deals already are in place are:
JEREMIAH, a two-hour backdoor pilot for Showtime to be produced in
association with Paramount International Television. Based on a popular
European comic book, the series is set in the near future when a society
of children attempts to rebuild the world after a catastrophic virus
annihilates everyone over the age of 12. The creative team includes
motion picture director Joe Dante ("Gremlins," "Small Soldiers") and
writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5"). Scott Rosenberg of
Platinum Entertainment will be executive producer.
MS. TREE, a one-hour action series for USA Network, based on a
long-running comic book featuring the exploits of a crime-fighting woman
detective. Executive producer/writer Clifton Campbell ("Profiler") will
be the showrunner. Adam Kline will executive produce. Shonna Diskin
developed the project and will produce.
WHO WANTS TO DATE A HOOTERS GIRL? a syndicated, daily half-hour dating
game show being offered to stations by Mercury Entertainment for an
August 2001 launch. The series will be produced in partnership with
Provident Entertainment/Hooters Inc. Douglas Schwartz ("Baywatch,"
"Sheena"), whose production deal with Lions Gate Television has been
renewed, co-developed the series, and will be executive producer with
Burt Wheeler and Sharon Sussman ("Singled Out") and Ed Droste of
Provident Entertainment/Hooters Inc.
MAKING A KILLING, a contemporary one-hour mystery series for PAX TV from
Joyce Burditt, creator and executive producer of "Diagnosis Murder," and
David Hoffman ("Matlock," "Diagnosis Murder"). The series is about a
women's investment club that turns to sleuthing after successfully
investigating the death of a diet guru whose stock they had bought.
Lions Gate Sr. VP of Development, Ellen Burditt, led the development
effort on this project.
UNTITLED MEDICAL DRAMA from writer Sara Davidson ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine
Woman") for PAX TV. The series is about a high-powered surgeon who
commits himself to alternative medicine after it saves his life, then
finds himself pitted against the medical establishment at the hospital
where he works.
Production on the first of the films under the Avalanche banner is
expected to begin in early 2001 at Lions Gate Studios in Vancouver. The
initial titles include:
UNDERGROUND INFERNO: A firefighter struggles to rescue a group of
hostages, including his wife and son, when bank robbers set a small town
on fire. Jeff Cohen is the writer. Harold Tichenor will executive
produce.
THE VOID: A ruthless CEO holds a whistle blower captive when she tries to
stop a top-secret particle acceleration experiment she fears may create a
black hole on earth. Geri Barger developed the concept and wrote the
screenplay. Gil Shilton is scheduled to direct. Tichenor will executive
produce.
CABIN PRESSURE: When a hacker takes control of the navigation system of a
state-of-the-art jetliner, a female pilot and the head of airport
security try desperately to avert disaster. Tom Greene penned the script.
Tichenor will executive produce.
Lions Gate Television produces the series "Mysterious Ways," which ran
this summer on NBC and currently runs on PAX TV, and produced "Higher Ground"
for Fox Family Channel. Lions Gate Television Pictures has produced a number
of television movies and mini-series including TBS's highest rated MOW, "First
Daughter," and its sequel "First Target," "Final Run" for CBS, "Shutterspeed"
for TNT, Dean Koontz's "Sole Survivor" for FOX, "King of the World" the
Muhammad Ali story and "The Linda McCartney Story" for CBS. Lions Gate's
wholly owned subsidiary Termite Art Productions produces "Ripley's Believe It
or Not," in association with Columbia Tri Star Television for TBS and is a
leading supplier of reality television to broadcast and cable networks.
Lions Gate creates, produces and distributes a broad range of motion
picture, television and other filmed entertainment content through its four
operating divisions - Motion Pictures, Television, Animation and Studio
Facilities. The distinctive Lions Gate brand is recognized as a symbol of
quality entertainment throughout North America and around the world.
http://www.lionsgate-ent.com
SOURCE Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
back to top
CONTACT: Gordon Keep, 604-609-6110; Peter D. Wilkes, 310-459-2709
|