William Monahan to Develop New Starz Drama Series CRIME

Related: CRIME, STARZ

Atlas Entertainment is producing its first television series, CRIME in partnership with Henceforth Pictures for Starz and Sonar Entertainment. Written by Academy Award(R) winning screenwriter, William Monahan (The Departed) "Crime" is a study of criminal enterprise and Scandal across 1960s Britain. The project was developed from a feature film treatment by Vanessa Sadler. Regarded for its proven ability to produce both tentpole films and independent features, Atlas Entertainment will step into the television landscape with "Crime."

The project in development is being executive produced by Atlas Entertainment's Charles Roven and William Green alongside Monahan, with Atlas' Andy Horwitz and Henceforth Pictures' Justine SuzAnne Jones co-executive producing. Starz and Sonar Entertainment are financing development and Sonar Entertainment has the option to distribute the show to markets around the world outside of Starz's pay television and home entertainment rights in the U.S.

Independent Talent's Josh Varney was instrumental in arranging the deal with Monahan and setting the project into motion. Starz will assume all domestic pay television and home entertainment rights, including Canada, to the series.

"We're thrilled that our first foray in television has us working with the incredibly talented William Monahan on this unique show, and we're excited to be sharing it with audiences not only in the U.S. but around the world," said Charles Roven.

"There's very little more interesting to me than the Sixties in Britain," said Monahan, "taken from Profumo to psychedelia, from the London criminal world to the worlds of art and fashion - all of which continually intersected. I know one thing: it's very, very, funny."

"Set in a time and place that continues to fascinate, 'Crime' is a story that easily cuts across borders and cultures," commented Stewart Till, CEO, Sonar Entertainment. "William Monahan's script comes alive with an immediacy and intimacy that audiences will embrace with unqualified enthusiasm."

"We are excited to be working with William Monahan on one of his passion projects," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz Entertainment. "'Crime' is the kind of unique storytelling that elevates scripted television for audiences."

A dramatist, director and novelist, William Monahan recently completed the screenplay for The Gambler for Martin Scorsese and producer Irwin Winkler at Paramount, and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. He won an Academy Award(R) for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, which earned four Oscars(R), including Best Picture. Additionally, Monahan collected a Writers Guild of America Award and earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his work. His Production Company, Henceforth Pictures, has a number of feature and television projects in development, including a screen adaptation of his first novel, Light House, and "The Throwaways", a New Yorker piece by journalist Sarah Stillman. Production on his original thriller, Mojave, begins in the first quarter of next year with Atlas Independent's William Green producing along with Monahan and Atlas's Andy Horwitz executive producing along with Henceforth's Justine SuzAnne Jones.

ABOUT ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT

Atlas Entertainment, led by founder Charles Roven, is built on a stellar reputation of creative collaboration, innovation and fiscal responsibility. With an expertise in producing blockbuster films as well as critically acclaimed independent features, Atlas Entertainment's films have generated billions of dollars in revenues. Roven most recently reteamed with Christopher Nolan, serving as a producer on The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy, and is also a producer on Man of Steel, the Superman reboot film directed by Zack Snyder set for release on June 14th, 2013. Atlas Entertainment has produced such tentpole films as The Dark Knight and Get Smart, in addition to such indie successes as the 2008 British crime thriller The Bank Job. Additional past film credits include Batman Begins, The International, Idlewild, The Brother's Grimm, Season of the Witch, Three Kings, the worldwide box office hit Scooby-Doo, and its sequel Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Fallen, Oscar(R)-nominated Twelve Monkeys, and fantasy romance City of Angels.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) brands with approximately 20.8 million and 34.3 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).

About Sonar Entertainment

Sonar Entertainment, Inc. is a leading developer, producer and distributor of award-winning television series, mini-series and movies for the global television marketplace. Sonar owns rights to over 1,000 titles comprising more than 3,500 broadcast hours of programming. The company maintains strategic creative and licensing partnerships with producers and broadcasters throughout the world.