- Nick Stahl stars in the highly anticipated new HBO series Carnivale
- Antonio Banderas takes lead in HBO's And Starring Pancho Villa As
Himself
- Showtime Original Series Dead Like Me stars Mandy Patinkin,
Ellen Muth, and Rebecca Gayheart
- Estella Warren and John Hannah star in the Canadian drama I Accuse
- Slings And Arrows unites Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette, Martha Burns,
Luke Kirby and Mark McKinney
TORONTO, July 15 /CNW/ - Movie Central, Western Canada's premium pay-TV service, launches its 2003/'04 season on Monday, September 1 with a stellar lineup of movies and television drama including the premiere of the highly anticipated new HBO series Carnivale and the Showtime Original Series Dead Like Me and The L Word.
"Our ongoing collaboration with HBO and Showtime provides Movie Central with the best programming from these networks this fall. We offer our viewers an unbeatable lineup of major blockbusters, internationally acclaimed feature films and drama series," said Andrew Eddy, Vice President and General Manager, Movie Central. "Movie Central also continues to champion the work of Canadian filmmakers, supporting over 50 new Canadian productions this year, nearly half from first-time feature directors. Another 50 projects have been added to our development slate to showcase on the network."
From the HBO stable comes the highly anticipated new 12-part series Carnivale, (September 16) and the made-for-TV feature film And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself with Antonio Banderas in the lead role (September 7). Carnivale follows a traveling carnival as it winds its way across the Oklahoma dust bowl of the 1930s. This epic story of good and evil is created by Daniel Knauf (Wolf Lake) and stars Nick Stahl (In the Bedroom). And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself is based on the true story of the making of Hollywood's first live-action film with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and stars Alan Arkin, Colm Feore and Jim Broadbent. The film is directed by Bruce Beresford and is written by Larry Gelbart.
Showtime Original Series premiering on Movie Central this fall include the dark and edgy drama Dead Like Me (September 1) and the eagerly awaited second season of the critically acclaimed futuristic series Jeremiah (September 8). Laced with edgy humour and teen angst, Dead Like Me focuses on a disaffected young woman who is suddenly killed when a piece of the MIR space station hurtles to Earth and falls on her head. Georgia (Ellen Muth) discovers that the afterlife does exist and that she's already been assigned a job. Rube (Mandy Patinkin) is the kindly leader of a team of Grim Reapers, and quickly takes her under his wing, introducing her to the other members of his undead group: Mason (Callum Blue), Roxy (Jasmine Guy) and Betty (Rebecca Gayheart).
The critically acclaimed Showtime Original Series Jeremiah returns for a second season (September 8). Shot in British Columbia, the futuristic drama follows the struggles of one man (Luke Perry) who, aided by his cohort Kurdy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) attempts to develop a civilized society in a world where the adult population was wiped out 15 years ago.
Slated for early winter '04, the controversial new Showtime Original Series The L Word revolves around the lives and loves of a circle of lesbian friends living in L.A. Jenny (Mia Kirshner) is a gifted young fiction writer who has just graduated from the University of Chicago. When she arrives in Los Angeles to begin her 'adult life' with her boyfriend Tim (Scott Bairstow), she meets Tim's neighbours, Bette (Jennifer Beals), her lover Tina (Laurel Holloman), and their circle of friends, which proves to be the catalyst for a series of life-changing events.
Movie Central celebrates Canadian film talent with the launch of the feature-length movie I Accuse (working title, premieres November '03) starring John Hannah and Canada's Estella Warren. Inspired by the true story of one woman's battle for justice, I Accuse is set in a small Prairie town where everyone trusts each other, especially the doctor (John Hannah) who makes house calls and raises funds for community events. However, when one woman (Estella Warren) reveals the events that took place behind the closed door of the examination room, the town is torn apart. I Accuse marks the directorial debut of acclaimed producer John Ketcham (The Hurricane).
In the Canadian-commissioned six-part miniseries Slings And Arrows, which premieres on Movie Central (November '03), legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure, to assume the Artistic Directorship after the sudden death of his mentor, Oliver Welles (Stephen Ouimette). When Geoffrey arrives, he finds that Oliver is still there, in spirit anyway, and with Oliver's guidance (and often in spite of it) Geoffrey attempts to reconcile with his past while wresting the Festival back from the marketing department. Despite a bitter leading lady (Martha Burns, Gross' wife), a clueless leading man (Luke Kirby), and a scheming General Manager (Mark McKinney), he manages to stage a remarkable production of Hamlet, the play that drove him mad.
Major blockbuster feature films making their broadcast debut on Movie Central this fall include 8 Mile, About Schmidt, Adaptation, Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets, One Hour Photo and White Oleander.
Movie Central, owned by Corus Entertainment, is a 24-hours-a-day, commercial-free premium pay-TV service which operates six themed movie channels available in Western Canada to customers living in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Through its investments, pre-buys and licence fees for Canadian feature films and original series, Movie Central is recognized as a major force in the Canadian independent film and television production industry. Movie Central EXPRESS, launched in October 2002, is a companion offering to Movie Central and the first service to offer Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) in Canada. Visit the Movie Central Web site at www.moviecentral.ca .
For further information: Please see the appended synopses for details on the new series; For high-resolution images and additional synopsis for programs returning with new episodes, please visit www.corusentertainment.com. Click on Media Centre, Select Adult TV and Click on Fall Launch 2003 - Movie Central. Password (equal sign) press1; For further information, interview requests or screening copies, please contact: Caroline Newson, Senior Publicist, (416) 530-5138, caroline.newson@corusent.com; Sally Tindal, Director of Media Relations, (416) 530-5121, sally.tindal@corusent.com
