Author: Liz Isenberg

EPIX’S EMMY AWARD-WINNING DRAMA SERIES ‘GODFATHER OF HARLEM’ BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON TWO

10-Episode Sophomore Season Starring and Executive Produced by Forest Whitaker

Set to Premiere in 2021

New York, NY – November 10, 2020 – Premium cable network EPIX® announced today that the upcoming second season of Emmy award-winning drama series Godfather of Harlem has started production in New York City. The 10-episode second season, from executive producers Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos), and starring and executive produced by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, will debut on EPIX in 2021.

Godfather of Harlem tells a story inspired by infamous Harlem crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch) – catching Malcolm’s political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. Godfather of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

Season two will see Bumpy continue his struggle to reclaim command over Harlem from the Italian mobsters by attempting to seed internal discord and sever their vital heroin pipeline. Meanwhile, Malcolm X will be forced to choose between violent and nonviolent response to the near constant threats to his life and his relationship with Bumpy will be severely tested.

In addition to Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Thatch (Selma, American Dreams), season two sees the return of stars Vincent D’Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Daredevil), Ilfenesh Hadera (She’s Gotta Have It, Baywatch), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandelorian), Lucy Fry (Bright, Vampire Academy), Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born), and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy. Cast members Erik LaRay Harvey (Luke Cage) and Demi Singleton (King Richard) have been upped to series regulars for season two.

Produced by ABC Signature Studios, which is a part of Disney Television Studios, the series is co-created and executive produced by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos). Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi, along with James Acheson, Markuann Smith and Joe Chappelle, serve as executive producers. Swizz Beatz serves as executive music producer. Chris Brancato serves as showrunner.

EPIX recently premiered new docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem, directed by Keith McQuirter (“The Innocence Files,” MILWAUKEE 53206). Inspired by the music and subjects featured in Godfather of Harlem, this documentary series brings alive the dramatic true story of Harlem and its music during the 1960’s, and connects that history to our present moment.

 

ABOUT ABC SIGNATURE

ABC Signature is a global leader in the development, production and distribution of entertainment content across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. The studio produces many of ABC Entertainment’s most significant hits, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “black-ish,” “mixed-ish,”  “American Housewife,” and “Station 19”; and co-productions “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things,” ”For Life,” “The Rookie,” and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ABC Signature’s returning and upcoming series include “Godfather of Harlem” for EPIX; Hulu’s “Dollface,” “Marvel’s Helstrom,” and co-production “Woke; “grown-ish” for Freeform; and “The Wilds” for Amazon. The Studio produced the Emmy® Award-nominated event limited series “Little Fires Everywhere” for Hulu. For streaming service Disney +, upcoming series include “The Mighty Ducks” and “Big Shot.”

 

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast; docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem; dramedy Bridge and Tunnel, written and directed by Ed Burns; docuseries Fiasco and season two of Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

EPIX® GREENLIGHTS DRAMEDY ‘BRIDGE AND TUNNEL’ TO SERIES

Six-Episode Series Written, Directed and Produced by Edward Burns

And Producing Partner Aaron Lubin

To Premiere on January 24, 2021

Ensemble Cast Features Sam Vartholomeos, Caitlin Stasey, Gigi Zumbado,

JanLuis Castellanos, Brian Muller and Isabella Farrell 

New York, NY – October 15, 2020 – Premium network EPIX® announced today that Bridge and Tunnel (previously announced in development as Gibson Station) has been greenlit to series. The six, half-hour episode season will premiere on January 24, 2021. Written, directed and produced by Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan, Public Morals), this dramedy series set in 1980 revolves around a group of recent college grads setting out to pursue their dreams in Manhattan while still clinging to the familiarity of their working-class Long Island home town. Production is currently underway in New York.

The series features a stellar ensemble cast including Sam Vartholomeos (Star Trek: Discovery), Caitlin Stasey (Reign, Please Like Me), Gigi Zumbado (9-1-1, Criminal Minds, Scream), JanLuis Castellanos (13 Reasons Why, Marvel’s Runways), Brian Muller (The Deuce, Madame Secretary, The Good Wife) and Isabella Farrell (The Good Fight).

In addition to Burns, the series is also executive produced by Aaron Lubin (Something Borrowed, Public Morals) and Lori Keith Douglas (The Village, Friends from College).  This is the second series from EPIX Studios. Bridge and Tunnel will be internationally distributed by MGM.

Edward Burns and Aaron Lubin have been producing partners at Marlboro Road Gang Productions for the past 20 years and recently completed Burns’ 13th feature, Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies, which premiered to outstanding reviews at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Lubin and Burns also executive produced and Burns starred in the finale episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories for Amblin Partners, Universal Television and Apple Television, which premiered in March on Apple’s new platform. Spielberg, Amblin and Lubin also executive produced Burns’ police drama Public Morals in which Burns wrote, directed, produced and starred in every episode for TNT. Burns’ coming-of-age romance film, Summertime, premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is set to be released in early 2021.

“JIMMY” – SAM VARTHOLOMEOS

A dedicated and passionate photographer, who is just starting to discover his style, Jimmy’s a charming and sensitive 22-year-old young man. After college graduation, he returns home to Long Island for the summer and quickly falls back into the arms of his ex-girlfriend Jill, faced with the ultimate dilemma of whether to continue this relationship or risk losing his new job photographing for National Geographic in Alaska.

Vartholomeos is repped by ICM and Soffer/Namoff.

“JILL” – CAITLIN STASEY

Jill, assertive and confident, dreams to move to Manhattan to become a famous fashion designer, but she fears her on-again, off-again relationship with Jimmy might force her to leave Manhattan and hit the road with him, jeopardizing her goal of succeeding in the fashion industry.

Stasey is repped by A3.

“TAMMY” – GIGI ZUMBADO

A sweet, studious, shy former high school Valedictorian, and recently admitted to Columbia Business School, Tammy is biding her time in the summer working as a waitress in the town diner, but finally telling the man she’s always loved her true feelings.

Zumbado is repped by CESD.

“MIKEY” – JANLUIS CASTELLANOS

Charming and frequently the object of desire, Mikey received his college degree in accounting to appease his family and fit in. With the help of Tammy, he begins to rediscover his passion as an artist, and confronts the idea of abandoning a safer path to consider a future in the arts.

Castellanos is repped by APA.

“STACEY” – ISABELLA FARRELL

Wild, tough-as-nails, college dropout, forever a party girl. She recently moved into her boyfriend’s Manhattan apartment, but is pulled back to Long Island when she reconnects with an old boyfriend from Long Island.

Farrell is repped by Innovative Artists.

“PAGS” – BRIAN MULLER

Playful, sweet, the character of the group. Pags has dreams of going to law school and becoming a successful music attorney.

Muller is repped by HCKR.

“ARTIE” – ED BURNS

A house painter who once dreamed of being a photographer, Artie loves his suburban life and supports his son’s artistic dreams. But he also is dreading the day Jimmy leaves the nest.

 

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast; docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem; docuseries Fiasco and season two of Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

Contact:

Maureen Granados

mgranados@epix.com

 

Brian Bahr

bbahr@epix.com

 

 

 

EPIX ANNOUNCES SEASON TWO OF “PENNYWORTH” WILL PREMIERE DECEMBER 13, 2020

SEASON TWO TEASER TRAILER, KEY ART & NEW CASTINGS UNVEILED OUT OF NEW YORK COMIC CON

WATCH TRAILER HERE

Air Date Schedule:

EPISODE 201 – DECEMBER 13, 2020

EPISODE 202 – DECEMBER 20, 2020

TWO PART MID-SERIES FINALE – DECEMBER 27, 2020 

REMAINING EPISODES PREMIERING IN 2021

New casting announcements for this season include Lucius Fox, who will be played by Simon Manyonda (His Dark Materials) and Melanie Troy, who will be played by Jessica de Gouw (The Hunting, Gretel and Hansel).

Lucius Fox is a young American scientist, precise to the point of pedantry, deliberately calm, honest, and direct to a fault; he suffers no fools gladly. His friends would say he’s a man of conscience; his enemies would say he’s judgmental and dogmatic. An integral part of the DC universe, this marks his introduction to the Wayne family.

Melanie Troy is a military orphan, who became a woman of the world far too young. She married a dominating older man, but with her wry intelligence and a sardonic sense of humor, she’s no submissive and gives as good as she gets. Introduced to Alfie as the wife of his former SAS Captain, the two kindred spirits have an immediate connection.

Season two also introduces new series regulars James Purefoy (The Following, Sex Education, Altered Carbon), Edward Hogg (Taboo, Harlots, White Lightning), Jessye Romeo (Curfew, In the Long Run), Ramon Tikaram (Brassic, The Victim) and Harriet Slater (Faunutland and the Lost Magic).

To watch all of the PENNYWORTH news announced out of New York Comic Con and to hear the cast discuss what fans can expect from the new season, click HERE for the full panel from Sunday, October 11.

About Pennyworth

From Warner Horizon Scripted Television, the origin story Pennyworth is a drama series based on DC characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. It follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon), a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), Bruce’s billionaire father, in 1960s London.

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon;docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia,from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem and docuseries Fiasco. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

EPIX’S PROVOCATIVE LATE NIGHT STAND-UP SERIES UNPROTECTED SETS RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON PREMIERING OCTOBER 16, 2020

 

ABOUT UNPROTECTED SETS

Unprotected Sets returns for a second season, with an all new class of killer comedians. In this voyeuristic, stand-up comedy series, nex-gen headliners  allow cameras behind the scenes, and inside their minds, giving viewers a premium experience, connecting the comedy with their intimate confessions.  It only feels fun if it’s…Unprotected Sets. The series is produced by MGM Television and Evolution Media.

Comedians Featured by Episode: 

Episode 201: Calvin Evans (Chicago) & Hanna Dickinson (Washington, DC) – Friday, October 16th at 12 AM ET/PT

Episode 202: Kira Soltanovich (San Francisco) & Mike Vecchione (New York) – Friday, October 23rd at 12:30 AM ET/PT

Episode 203: Corey Rodrigues (Boston) & Steph Tolev (Toronto) – Friday, October 30th at 12:35 AM ET/PT

Episode 204: Kabir Singh (Bay Area) & Kellen Erskine (Bay Area) – Friday, November 6th at 12:50 AM ET/PT

Episode 205: Rita Brent (Jackson, MS) & Dave Waite (Cincinnati) –  Friday, November 13th at 12 AM ET/PT

Episode 206: Jared Logan (Morgantown, WV) & Clayton English (Atlanta) – Friday, November 20th at 12:10 AM ET/PT

Episodes 207, 208, 209 and 210 will air in early 2021

**Please note, episodes premiere late Friday night/early Saturday morning.**

 

ABOUT MGM

Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network EPIX, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors.  In addition, MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms and interactive ventures and is producing premium short-form content for distribution. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

 

ABOUT EVOLUTION MEDIA 
Evolution Media, an MGM company, has produced some of the most buzz-worthy non-fiction programming spanning a wide array of formats and genres across broadcast and cable television networks.  The company has garnered numerous awards and industry accolades including 13 Telly Awards, a CableFax Best Series Award, multiple Reality TV Awards for Best Series and the Best Reality Show award from the Critics’ Choice Awards.

Evolution Media’s current slate of long-running hit series includes The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Real Housewives of Orange County and Vanderpump Rules for Bravo; its break-out format Botched for E! Network; MTV’s hit revival The Hills: New Beginnings, and Sex Life for MGM’s Epix. Since its formation 1987, the company has produced more than 60 series for various networks including TLC’s Clean Sweep and The Adam Carolla Project; truTV’s action series Ocean Force; MTV’s Yo Momma; Bravo’s Date My Ex, Gay Weddings and Boy Meets Boy; VH1’s Bands Reunited; ABC Family’s teen reality hit, Switched!; Disney Channel’s groundbreaking teen series Bug Juice, Movie Surfers, Code:9 and the tele-feature Now You See It; HGTV’s Desperate Spaces; the reality comedy Growing Up Twisted for A&E; He’s a Lady for TBS; WeTV’s critically acclaimed series High School Confidential; BET’s talker My Black is Beautiful; and the award-winning feature documentary Camp Out (Logo).

 

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast; docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem; docuseries Fiasco and season two of Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

EPIX® SETS PREMIERE DATE FOR DOCUSERIES ‘BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY: THE TIMES OF GODFATHER OF HARLEM’

Four-Part Music Docuseries Inspired by Emmy Award-winning series ‘Godfather of Harlem’ To Premiere November 8, 2020 at 10 PM ET/PT

New York, NY – October 8, 2020 – Premium television network EPIX® announced today that four-part docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem will premiere on November 8, 2020 at 10 PM ET/PT. Inspired by the music and subjects featured in the EPIX original series Godfather of Harlem, this documentary series brings alive the dramatic true story of Harlem and its music during the 1960’s, and connects that history to our present moment.

Featuring interviews with the stars of Godfather of Harlem, including Academy Award®-winner Forest Whitaker, Giancarlo Esposito and Ilfenesh Hadera and musicians Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Nile Rogers, A$AP Ferg, Chika, Joe Bataan and Freddie Stone, this series will take audiences on a musical journey that brings to life the excitement of 1960’s Harlem, and introduces the artists who dared to use their voices, instruments and lyrics to take a stand against oppression. Other notables in the series include activist Al Sharpton, former U.S. Representative Charles Rangel and poet Sonia Sanchez. Through archival footage and evocative imagery, audiences will see beyond the black and white historical images into the multicolored souls of musicians unafraid to use music as a weapon against change.

By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem is executive produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker from Significant Productions, along with Keith McQuirter (Decoder Media).

The first season of Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed drama Godfather of Harlem, produced by ABC Signature Studios, is currently available for streaming. Season two will commence production this fall.

 

ABOUT SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS

Significant Productions is a multicultural production company founded by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and his producing partner, Nina Yang Bongiovi in 2010 — covering motion pictures, television, documentaries, creative development and physical production, alongside a knack for discovering and championing talent, like that of Ryan Coogler (Marvel’s Black Panther), whose first film, Fruitvale Station (2013) was produced by Nina and Forest. Together under their banner, they have produced a number of award-winning, critically-acclaimed feature films by auteur directors, including Dope (2015) by Rick Famuyiwa, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) by Chloe Zhao, Roxanne Roxanne (2018) by Michael Larnell and Sorry To Bother You (2018) by Boots Riley.

Currently, Forest and Nina are in post-production on Passing, Rebecca Hall’s feature directorial debut based on Nella Larsen’s Harlem Renaissance novel of the same name, starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland and Alexander Skarsgard. They also serve as executive producers on EPIX’s hit television show, Godfather of Harlem, which is heading into Season 2.

The producing duo are members of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) and the Television Academy.

 

ABOUT DECODER MEDIA  

Founded in 2008 by award-winning producer and director Keith McQuirter, Decoder Media is a New York City-based production company that brings meaningful stories to the world about real people, elevating the mediums of documentary filmmaking, commercials and branded content.

By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem, is only the latest foray into documentaries for Decoder Media and McQuirter, who is Executive Producing and Directing the Harlem series, in collaboration with Executive Producers — Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi.

Known for its digital media and commercial credits, Decoder Media’s documentary work unflinchingly declares that stories about people of color matter and its imperative that they are told to audiences across all media platforms.  McQuirter produced three episodes of the nine-part The Innocence Files docuseries on wrongful convictions that debuted on Netflix in Spring 2020. Decoder Media and McQuirter also have a feature documentary in development about the criminal justice system.

This follows the feature documentary Milwaukee 53206 directed and produced by McQuirter, which aired on WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed in 2018 and won Best Feature Documentary at the 2017 Urbanworld Film Festival. McQuirter, a New York University Tisch School film and television production graduate, also co-produced season one of Brick City, the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated docuseries for the Sundance Channel.

For more information about Decoder Media, go to www.decodermedia.com. Follow Decoder Media on Twitter @decodermedia (http://twitter.com/decodermedia) on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DecoderMedia/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/decodermedia/).

 

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem and docuseries Fiasco. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

EPIX® GREENLIGHTS ‘FIASCO’ TO SERIES

Leon Neyfakh to Host Six-Episode Docuseries from the Creators of ‘Slow Burn’

Based on His Podcast of the Same Name

New York, NY – October 5, 2020 – Premium network EPIX® has greenlit Fiasco, a new documentary series about politics, power, and uncertainty. Fiasco, from Prologue Projects and Left/Right, adapts host and executive producer Leon Neyfakh’s podcast of the same name. The six-episode docuseries marks the second partnership for Neyfakh, Left/Right and EPIX, following the acclaimed Slow Burn – an incisive look at the Watergate crisis – earlier this year. Currently in production, Fiasco will debut on EPIX in 2021.

In Fiasco, Neyfakh will transport listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country’s most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. Season One of Fiasco will tell the story of the Iran-Contra affair, the Cold War-era debacle — involving a secret war in Nicaragua and an arms-for-hostages deal with Iran — that almost took down the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Fiasco is produced by Neyfakh’s Prologue Projects, and Left/Right.   The podcast is available exclusively on Luminary. Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Steven Fisher serve as executive producers, along with Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, and John Marks for Left/Right, a Red Arrow Studios company.

Leon Neyfakh is the host of Fiasco and co-creator of Slow Burn, as well as the founder of Prologue Projects, an independent podcast studio. Neyfakh started his reporting career at the New York Observer before joining The Boston Globe. At Slate, he wrote about the criminal justice system before co-creating Slow Burn with Andrew Parsons. Neyfakh is the author of The Next Next Level, a critically-acclaimed book about the choice between life as an artist and the stability of a nine-to-five job.

Andrew Parsons is an award-winning audio producer and the executive producer of Prologue Projects. His work has been featured on Marketplace, Studio 360, and Snap Judgment, among other outlets. He’s been the senior producer at the history podcast BackStory and co-created and produced the first two seasons of the Slate podcast Slow Burn. He’s lectured and taught at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and serves on the Google/PRX podcast creator advisory committee.

Steven Fisher is a partner in Underground, a management and production company. In addition to managing Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects, Fisher most recently Executive Produced the Comedy Central special DESI LYDIC: A BROAD (nominated for a WGA Award), and the short form series OH JEROME, NO for FX (lead actor Mamoudou Athie was nominated for an Emmy). In addition, Underground’s credits include Snowfall on FX, HEATHERS for Paramount Network, the upcoming GAME CHANGER for Netflix, DRAGON’S LAIR for Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds, the sports docuseries DREAM TEAM at BET, and the independent film SMALL ENGINE REPAIR.

ABOUT PROLOGUE PROJECTS

Prologue Projects is an independent production company specializing in audio journalism. Prologue was founded in 2019 by the co-creators of Slow Burn. Since that time, the studio has built a slate of original podcasts, including Fiasco; The Trevor Noah Podcast; The Edge, a narrative series about the Houston Astros cheating scandal hosted by Ben Reiter; 5-4, a weekly talk show about the Supreme Court; and Whirlwind, a series about the Cold War hosted by Tim Weiner.

ABOUT LEFT/RIGHT

LEFT/RIGHT has produced hundreds of hours of television in an extraordinarily eclectic mix of genres ranging from hard-hitting documentaries to side-splitting comedies, covering topics from sex to secret societies to stand-up comedy to science fiction to school segregation.  Past and present productions include our groundbreaking political series THE CIRCUS (Showtime), multiple episodes of the acclaimed investigative series FRONTLINE (PBS), our award-winning TV adaptation of the popular public radio show THIS AMERICAN LIFE (Showtime), and the New York Times documentary series THE WEEKLY and THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTS (FX and Hulu).  Our shows have been nominated for numerous Emmy® Awards and have won multiple awards, including a Peabody® and the Emmy® for Best Nonfiction Series.  Left/Right is a Red Arrow Studios company.

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; season two of epic fantasy drama series Britannia  as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

Contact:

Maureen Granados

mgranados@epix.com

EPIX PREMIERES NEW DOCUSERIES ‘ENSLAVED’ IN FALL 2020

SIX-PART SERIES FEATURING HOLLYWOOD ICON AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST SAMUEL L. JACKSON IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE NON-SCRIPTED SERIES EVER MADE ON THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

PREMIERES SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 AT 10 P.M. ET/PT

New York, NY – August 4, 2020 – Premium network EPIX® announced today that six-part docuseries Enslaved will premiere September 14, 2020 at 10 P.M. ET/PT.  Led by icon and activist Samuel L. Jackson, Enslaved sheds new light on 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World.   Based on a DNA test identifying his ancestral tribe, the series traces Jackson’s personal journey from the U.S. to Gabon for his induction into the Benga tribe, with rare and unprecedented access to secret ceremonies and local customs.   Following its launch on EPIX, Enslaved will also premiere on CBC in Canada on Sunday, October 18 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT).  The series is being distributed internationally by Fremantle.

Using new diving technology – such as advanced 3D mapping and ground-penetrating radar – to locate and examine sunken slave ships on three continents, the series reveals an entirely new perspective on the history of the transatlantic slave trade. The series also tracks the efforts of Diving With a Purpose (DWP), a collaborating organization with The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS), as they search for and locate six slave ships that sank drowning the enslaved humans aboard.  Featuring the most dives ever made on sunken slave ships, Enslaved also chronicles the first positive identification of a “Freedom Ship,” an American schooner that ferried African American runaways to Canada.

Each episode follows three separate story lines: the quest for a sunken slave ship, a personal journey by Samuel L. Jackson and a historical investigation led by investigative journalists Simcha Jacobovici and Afua Hirsch.

Enslaved also celebrates stories of resistance, accomplishment and hope; the cultures left behind and the culture that we live in presently…a culture that, in many ways, was born in the bowels of those sunken slave ships.

Enslaved is a Canada/UK co-production between Toronto-based Associated Producers and London-based Cornelia Street Productions produced in association with CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, and documentary Channel in Canada. Simcha Jacobovici serves as series director. Enslaved is executive produced by Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Eli Selden, Rob Lee, Simcha Jacobovici, Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Yaron Niski, and produced by Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Felix Golubev.  Produced in association with Anonymous Content, along with UppiTV, Samuel and LaTanya Jackson’s television production company.

Fremantle holds global distribution rights (excluding US, Canada and Israel).

 

About Associated Producers

Founded in 2002, Associated Producers is one of the leading companies in the world of non-scripted documentaries and has garnered three US Emmys and over 100 international awards for its documentaries including a DuPont Award from Columbia University School of Journalism, two Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Overseas Press Club of America and two Donald Brittain Awards from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

When it comes to archaeology, Associated Producers won the Special Jury Prize of the Annual Archaeology Film Festival in Brussels. Associated Producers has also made two documentary specials, specifically involving underwater archaeology: “The Struma” (HBO/Channel 4), the underwater search for a ship of Jewish refugees that sunk during the Holocaust and “Atlantis Rising” (National Geographic Channel), a modern-day quest in pursuit of the legendary city, executive produced by James Cameron.

Associated Producers has produced content for every major broadcaster in the world including NBC, HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, A&E, The History Channel, Science Channel, TLC, CBC, BBC, C4, PBS, ZDF, FR3, NHK, Vision Canada and many more.

 

About Cornelia Street Productions

Cornelia Street Productions was founded in 2018 and has offices in London and Dublin. We specialise in quality factual and drama programming with international appeal and our management team have extensive specialist experience in international co-production.

Our popular factual team have just produced two series in Ireland. Burnt By The Sun, a two-part true crime documentary about fraud in the holiday housing market, achieved a 35% market share for its opening show. The observational vet series Cat Hospital is now being distributed worldwide with Fremantle, following a successful Irish run. We also have three films in funded development with Screen Ireland.

Sarah Sapper, MD, was Commercial Director of Blink Films for ten years, where she spearheaded international co-productions, including the BAFTA Award Winning Mummifying Alan for Channel 4 and National Geographic, We’ll Meet Again for PBS, Noah’s Ark for Channel 4, PBS, Nat Geo and France 5 and Monty Don’s Paradise Gardens for BBC and All3Media.

David Kerr, Creative Director, is a former Head of Sport at national UK network Channel 4 and Managing Director of Eurosport UK, a pay TV, digital and OTT service. He has exec produced several BAFTA and RTS Award Winning Series.

 

ABOUT ANONYMOUS CONTENT

Founded in 1999 by Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a leading management and Film, TV and Commercial production company. As one of the largest and most successful management companies operating today,  Anonymous Content’s clients have been recognized with Academy Awards®, Emmys®, Golden Globes®, Tony Awards®, Pulitzer Prizes® and many other prestigious awards. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division boasts many commercially successful and critically acclaimed works, including BABEL, WINTER’S BONE, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, THE REVENANT and Best Picture Academy Award winning SPOTLIGHT. The company’s TV credits includes “True Detective” (HBO), “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), “Schitt’s Creek” (POP), “13 Reasons Why” (Netflix), “Homecoming” (Amazon), “Catch-22” (Hulu),  “Briarpatch” (USA) and “Dickinson” (Apple).  Current Anonymous Content films in production include STILLWATER, directed by Tom McCarthy and starring Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin, THE MIDNIGHT SKY, directed by George Clooney and starring Clooney and Felicity Jones and SWAN SONG, written and directed by Ben Cleary and starring Mahershala Ali.  On the television side, the company produced recently released series “Home Before Dark” (Apple), “Defending Jacob” (Apple), When the Streetlights Go On” (Quibi) and soon to be released “The Now” (Quibi).  Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless leading global brands including HP, Prada, Nike and Coke. For more information, visit www.anonymouscontent.com.

 

About Fremantle

Fremantle is one of the largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content in the world. From Got Talent to My Brilliant Friend, Family Feud to The Young Pope, Idols to American Gods, The Price is Rightto Neighbours and The X Factor to Deutschland 83 – we are behind the world’s most-loved and most-watched shows.

We have an outstanding international network of production teams, companies and labels in over 30 countries – our Fremantle family includes UFA (Germany), Wildside (Italy), Abot Hameiri (Israel), Miso Film (Denmark, Sweden and Norway), Blue Circle (Netherlands), Original Productions (USA) and Easy Tiger (Australia) to name a few.

We produce in excess of 12,000 hours of original programming, roll out more than 70 formats and air 400 programmes a year worldwide. We also distribute over 20,000 hours of content in more than 200 territories.

As a world leader in digital and branded entertainment, we have more than 370 million subscribers across 1,500 social channels and over 100 billion views across all platforms – and are the creator of Facebook’s most viewed video of all time, The Sacred Riana.

For more information, visit www.fremantle.com, or follow us @FremantleHQ and visit our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.

 

ABOUT EPIX

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; epic fantasy drama series Britannia and music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

Contact:

Maureen Granados

mgranados@epix.com

 

EPIX® GREENLIGHTS FOUR-PART DOCUSERIES “BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY: THE TIMES OF GODFATHER OF HARLEM

Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions

Teams Up with Decoder Media and Executive Producer Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean

For Docuseries Premiering on EPIX Fall 2020

New York, NY – July 20, 2020 – Premium television network EPIX® announced today the greenlight of By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem, a docuseries inspired by the music and subjects featured in its original series Godfather of Harlem.  This four-part documentary series brings alive the dramatic true story of Harlem and its music during the 1960’s, and connects that history to our present moment.

Combining interviews, archival footage, evocative imagery and key moments from the Godfather of Harlem series itself, this series will take audiences on a musical journey that brings to life the excitement of 1960’s Harlem, and introduces the artists who dared to use their voices, instruments and lyrics to take a stand against oppression.  Through the prism of contemporary artists, audiences will see beyond the black and white historical images into the multicolored souls of musicians unafraid to use music as a weapon against change.

Premiering in Fall 2020, By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem is executive produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker from Significant Productions, along with Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean and Keith McQuirter (Decoder Media).

Season one of the critically-acclaimed drama Godfather of Harlem, produced by ABC Signature Studios, is currently available for streaming.  Season two will commence production in the near future.


ABOUT SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS

Significant Productions is a multicultural production company founded by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and his producing partner, Nina Yang Bongiovi in 2010 — covering motion pictures, television, documentaries, creative development and physical production, alongside a knack for discovering and championing talent, like that of Ryan Coogler (Marvel’s Black Panther), whose first film, Fruitvale Station (2013) was produced by Nina and Forest. Together under their banner, they have produced a number of award-winning, critically-acclaimed feature films by auteur directors, including Dope (2015) by Rick Famuyiwa, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) by Chloe Zhao, Roxanne Roxanne (2018) by Michael Larnell and Sorry To Bother You (2018) by Boots Riley.

Currently, Forest and Nina are in post-production on Passing, Rebecca Hall’s feature directorial debut based on Nella Larsen’s Harlem Renaissance novel of the same name, starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland and Alexander Skarsgard. They also serve as executive producers on EPIX’s hit television show, Godfather of Harlem, which is heading into Season 2.

The producing duo are members of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) and the Television Academy.

ABOUT DECODER MEDIA 

Founded in 2008 by award-winning producer and director Keith McQuirter, Decoder Media is a New York City-based production company that brings meaningful stories to the world about real people, elevating the mediums of documentary filmmaking, commercials and branded content.

By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem, is only the latest foray into documentaries for Decoder Media and McQuirter, who is Executive Producing and Directing the Harlem series, in collaboration with Executive Producers — Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi.

Known for its digital media and commercial credits, Decoder Media’s documentary work unflinchingly declares that stories about people of color matter and its imperative that they are told to audiences across all media platforms.  McQuirter produced three episodes of the nine-part The Innocence Files docuseries on wrongful convictions that debuted on Netflix in Spring 2020. Decoder Media and McQuirter also have a feature documentary in development about the criminal justice system.

This follows the feature documentary Milwaukee 53206 directed and produced by McQuirter, which aired on WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed in 2018 and won Best Feature Documentary at the 2017 Urbanworld Film Festival. McQuirter, a New York University Tisch School film and television production graduate , also co-produced season one of Brick City, the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated docuseries for the Sundance Channel.

For more information about Decoder Media, go to www.decodermedia.com. Follow Decoder Media on Twitter @decodermedia (http://twitter.com/decodermedia) on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DecoderMedia/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/decodermedia/).

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen and Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; and epic fantasy drama series Britannia. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

Contacts:

Maureen Granados

mgranados@epix.com

 

Brian Bahr

bbahr@epix.com

 

ANARCHIC DRAMA ‘BRITANNIA’ LANDS ON EPIX®

Season One of the Acclaimed Epic Fantasy Drama Series to Debut on EPIX on August 2 

Immediately Followed by the U.S. Premiere of 10-Episode Season Two on October 4

Premium Network to also Serve as Exclusive U.S. Home for Forthcoming Season Three

New York, NY – June 29, 2020 – Premium network EPIX® today announced that Season One of the critically-acclaimed fantasy drama Britannia will debut on August 2.

Immediately after, EPIX will exclusively premiere Season Two for U.S. audiences on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm, and will be the exclusive U.S. home to Season Three, which is currently in production.

Produced by Vertigo Films in association with Neal Street Productions and Sky Studios, Britannia is a genre-bending, psychedelic tale of clashing faith systems, torn apart families, mystic men, powerful women, all told with humor, heart and violence.

Set in 43 A.D., the first season of this epic and visionary drama follows the Roman invasion of Britain when the country ruled by the powerful Druids and warrior queens. Britannia follows the reluctant rise to power of Kerra (Kelly Reilly), daughter of the King of Cantii (Ian McDiarmid), and her arch-rival Queen Atedia (Zoë Wanamaker), who are forced to put their differences aside when the Romans invade Britannia. Meanwhile, rogue Druid Divis (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), the only one who foresaw the Roman invasion, finds an unlikely ally in a 12-year-old Cantii girl, Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), in his quest to defeat Rome. The Romans are led by General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey), who is determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer this mythical land at the far edge of the Roman Empire, Britannia.

“Jez Butterworth and the teams at Vertigo Films, Neal Street Productions and Sky Studios have created a bold, epic series with a unique spin on the fantasy-adventure genre,” said Michael Wright, President, EPIX.  “Britannia is truly cinematic television – a perfect addition to the EPIX lineup – and we’re thrilled to give this series its new home.”

“Audiences around the world love Britannia and now US fans will be able to watch the latest season exclusively on EPIX. The support for the show from Michael Wright and the EPIX team has been tremendous, and their commitment to all three seasons is great news for fans of the franchise,” said Jane Millichip, Chief Commercial Officer Sky Studios.

Britannia is a Sky Original for Sky in the UK, Italy and Germany. Britannia was created by Jez Butterworth (Spectre), Tom Butterworth (Tin Star) and James Richardson (Monsters). Season Two of Britannia is written by Jez, Tom and John-Henry Butterworth. Britannia is produced by Rupert Ryle-Hodges (Downton Abbey, The Hollow Crown) and executive produced by Vertigo Films’ James Richardson (Monsters), Sam Mendes (1917), Pippa Harris (Call the Midwife) and Nicolas Brown (Penny Dreadful) from Neal Street Productions (Penny Dreadful) and Jez and Tom Butterworth. Britannia Season Three was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky UK’s Managing Director of Content and Cameron Roach, Director of Drama for Sky Studios, with Gabriel Silver serving as executive producer for Sky Studios.

The show is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Global Distribution and has sold to more than 175 territories worldwide.

 

ABOUT EPIX

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen and Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.

 

ABOUT VERTIGO FILMS

Vertigo Films is a British independent TV and Film company founded in 2002, run by co-founders James Richardson and Allan Niblo and CEO Jane Moore. On the success of cinematic hits including Monsters, directed by Gareth Edwards, Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, The Football Factory and StreetDance 3D , the company built an integrated, distribution, sales and post-production operation, and became one of the most successful independent film companies in the U.K. Vertigo prides itself on being an innovator: the first UK production company to film on digital; the first UK production company to film in 3D; and a creator of VR and AI games to use as marketing tools. Since expanding into TV, Vertigo has combined original, cinematic and international stories with a unique expertise in marketing to create its first two shows – Britannia and Bulletproof for Sky – and turn them into commercial and critical hits around the world, with both shows moving into their third seasons.

ABOUT NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

Neal Street Productions is run by Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Caro Newling, and Nicolas Brown and has been successfully producing award-winning film, TV and theatre for the past 15 years.

Neal Street’s diverse film and television slate includes the hugely successful Call the Midwife for the BBC, John Logan’s Penny Dreadful and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels for Showtime; the award-winning The Hollow Crown for the BBC; two series of Britannia for Sky/Amazon, and the BAFTA-nominated, contemporary thriller Informer for BBC/Amazon. Neal Street’s film projects have included Revolutionary Road for Paramount and DreamWorks, Things We Lost in the Fire for DreamWorks, and Jarhead for Universal. More recently, 1917, Neal Street’s First World War epic, directed by Sam Mendes and co-written by Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns for Amblin and Universal, starred George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch.  The film won over 100 awards, including 2 Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director, 3 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, VFX and Sound Mixing, and 7 BAFTAs including Best Film, Best British Film and Best Director.

In the theatre, recent productions include Jez Butterworth’s Olivier and Tony award-winning The Ferryman; The Lehman Trilogy which had sell-out runs in London and at the Park Avenue Armoury Theater in New York; as well as the multi-award winning A Very Expensive Poison written by Lucy Prebble, performed at the Old Vic

Neal Street Productions is an All3Media company, All3Media is owned jointly between Discovery Communications and Liberty Global.

 

ABOUT SKY STUDIOS

Sky Studios brings to screen unique stories from the very best talent in Europe.

We develop, produce and fund original drama, comedy and documentary for Sky’s 24m customers and beyond, with 52 scripted shows already in production. Building on the success of critically-acclaimed Sky originals including Emmy-winning Chernobyl, Bafta-winning Patrick Melrose and international hits Babylon Berlin and Riviera, Sky Studios is the new creative home of Sky originals, such as The Third Day with Jude Law, ZeroZeroZero from the makers of Gomorrah and The New Pope directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino.

We’re an agile Studio, seeking out the best untold stories from new voices while working in creative partnership with today’s best writers, producers and on-screen talent to bring viewers stories they wouldn’t find anywhere else.

With commissioning talent and production capability across the UK, Germany and Italy, we understand local tastes across Europe better than anyone else and have plans to more than double our investment in original content by 2024, fully supported and backed by Comcast NBC Universal.

We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone.

Sky Studios invests in the cultural economy and global production sector with equity stakes in nine production companies in the UK and the US, including Great British Bake-Off creator Love Productions, and the premiere reality crime producer in the US, Jupiter Entertainment, creator of long-running hit Snapped. Sky Studios has invested in high quality factual specialists Blast Films and True North Productions; entertainment and format expert Znak & Co (US & UK); natural history producer True to Nature; drama producers The Lighthouse and Longboat Pictures; and growth businesses Sugar Films, Chrysalis Vision, and Talos Films (US).

Sky Studios launched in June 2019. The senior leadership team is Chief Executive Officer Gary Davey, Chief Commercial Officer Jane Millichip, Chief Finance Officer Caroline Cooper, Director of Drama UK Cameron Roach, Director of Comedy UK Jon Mountague, Director Original Production Sky Italia Nils Hartmann, and Director Original Productions Sky Deutschland Marcus Ammon.

 

ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

NBCUniversal Global Distribution is responsible for the licensing and distribution of NBCUniversal product to all forms of television and new media platforms in the U.S., Canada and in over 200 territories internationally. NBCUniversal’s content portfolio includes a vast and diverse library of more than 4,500 feature films and 120,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, kids, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Television, UCP, NBCUniversal International Studios, Sky Studios, NBC Late Night properties, DreamWorks Animation, Telemundo, and more, as well as locally produced content from around the world. Global Distribution is a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.

 

 

Contact:

Maureen Granados

mgranados@epix.com

 

NEW RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED FOR EPIX’S SIX PART DOCU-SERIES “HELTER SKELTER: AN AMERICAN MYTH”

New York, NY – June 22, 2020 – The six-part docu-series will now premiere on July 26, 2020 at 10 PM ET/PT.

ABOUT HELTER SKELTER: AN AMERICAN MYTH

In the most comprehensive telling of the Manson Family yet told in a visual medium, Helter Skelter: An American Myth features never-before-accessed interviews from former family members and journalists first on the scene and in the courtroom, weaving these original narratives with archival footage and newly-unearthed images. It will upend what people think they know about this layered and complex story and cast an entirely new light on this Crime of the Century.

The six-part docu-series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter for Berlanti Productions and Eli Frankel for Rogue Atlas Productions.  Warner Horizon Unscripted Television serves as the studio.  Lesley Chilcott, producer of the Academy Award®-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, will direct as well as serve as executive producer.

ABOUT EPIX®

EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docu-series Laurel Canyon; docu-series Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docu-series NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen and Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and six-part docu-series Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott.  Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.