Crash, a new original drama series based on the Oscar-winning Picture will debut exclusively on Starz in 2008. The 13-episode, one-hour series, co-produced with Lionsgate, will be Starzs first original drama.
The announcement was made today by Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president, programming of Starz Entertainment.
Key members of the Oscar-winning production team are onboard for the series, including the films director, co-writer and producer Paul Haggis, co-writer and producer Bobby Moresco, producer Bob Yari, producer Don Cheadle, producer Mark R. Harris and executive producer Tom Nunan.
Crash, which was distributed by Lionsgate, marks only the second time a Best Picture Oscar has been turned into a series. In the Heat of the Night was the first. Production on the drama is scheduled to begin in the spring.
Crash introduced a whole range of fascinating characters and engrossing, intertwined stories that are ideally suited for developing into a TV series, commented Shelanski. Starz is the premium channel for movies so its appropriate that this Best Picture-winner is providing the basis for our first dramatic series. The fact that key members of the films production team are involved will ensure that our series maintains the high level of talent and creativity captured in the film.
An important part of our strategy is to create franchises across our companys divisions, said Kevin Beggs, Lionsgates President of Programming and Production, and early in our involvement with this extraordinary film, we recognized its enormous potential to be successfully adapted for television. In Starz, we have found partners who share our vision and we anticipate a great collaboration.
I’m very happy that Lionsgate and Starz have decided to develop Crash into a series, said Haggis. Ironically, my initial impulse was to present the material in a format for television. I am thrilled it’s coming full circle and can’t wait to see how it expands and transforms.
“For me, exploring the characters and conflicts in Crash was a great experience, said Moresco. The idea of doing it again in a weekly series is tremendously exciting.
“This series will present an opportunity to delve into many subjects, not just race relations in LA, said Cheadle. I don’t think you can do 13 episodes on that subject and keep people interested. The challenge will be to craft the series characters in such a way as to get beneath the skin that supposedly differentiates them and create entertaining story lines that show the hurdles and obstacles we all struggle to overcome day to day.”
Challenging and daring, “Crash” took a provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. The film featured an all-star cast including Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris Ludacris Bridges, Thandie Newton and Ryan Philippe. It was directed by Haggis and co-written by Haggis and Moresco.
In addition to Best Picture, it also scored Oscars for Haggis and Morescos original screenplay, as well as Hughes Winbornes editing. Crash also earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, a Producers Guild nomination for Best Picture, a Directors Guild feature film nomination for Haggis, a Writers Guild nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Haggis and Moresco), nine BAFTA nominations (including Best Film and Best Director) and six NAACP Image Award nominations (including Best Film).
Starz Medias Anchor Bay Entertainment will hold exclusive U.S. distribution rights, including home entertainment, to the Crash series, while Lionsgate will retain international distribution.
The announcement of Crash comes on the heels of the launch of Starz first two original half-hour comedy series, Head Case and Hollywood Residential, which premiered last week. Head Case, stars Alexandra Wentworth and the new comedy series Hollywood Residential, stars Adam Paul and is executive produced by Cheryl Hines. Starz also features Starz Inside, a new monthly series of original specials examining people, trends and culture in movie entertainment hosted by Richard Roeper.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2005 Best Picture Oscar for Crash, and the Company is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz and Encore brands with approximately 16.0 million and 30.3 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and Vongo. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group (NASDAQ: LCAPA, LCAPB).
