BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,
June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/
-- Starz Chief Executive Officer, Chris Albrecht, announced today that Starz will
partner with Sony Pictures Television to greenlight "Outlander," an
original series adapted from Diana
Gabaldon's international bestselling books. The network has
ordered 16 episodes of the series which will begin filming in
Scotland this fall. It is slated
to premiere in 2014.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080522/LATH063LOGO-b)
The series adaptation for "Outlander" will be written by
Ronald D. Moore ("Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine," "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). Moore is best known
for his work on "Battlestar Galactica," which won him a Peabody
Award in 2006. Ronald D. Moore and
Jim Kohlberg are executive producers
of "Outlander," which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story
Mining and Supply Company and Left Bank Productions in association
with Sony Pictures Television.
"We are thrilled to be bringing 'Outlander' to Starz next year,"
said Chris Albrecht, CEO of Starz.
"Diana has created an incredibly compelling heroine, thrust into a
very complex world, not to mention, time. The books weave a
fascinating tapestry of history, spirituality, love and honor,
not to mention plenty of time travel, sex and warfare. With Diana's
stories guiding us and Ron's mastery, we hope to bring Claire and
Jamie to life for the millions of fans the world over."
Moore added, "I'm very excited to have the opportunity to bring
these books to life. Diana's created a rich and textured
world filled with intriguing characters, and I believe that Starz
is the perfect home for her story. I think we'll make
something that the millions of fans of these books will enjoy and
recognize as 'Outlander.'"
Diana Gabaldon's seven-book
series has sold more than 20 million copies and has graced the
New York Times best-sellers list
six times. The eighth installment of the "Outlander" series is
slated to be released in the fall of 2013. The "Outlander" series
spans the genres of romance, science fiction, history, and
adventure in one grandiose tale. It follows the story of
Claire Randall, a married combat
nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743,
where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her
life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young
Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears
Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two
irreconcilable lives.
Starz will retain all domestic multiplatform pay TV rights to
the original series.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading
integrated global media and entertainment company with operating
units that provide premium subscription video programming on
domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global
content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television
and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription
video programming through the flagship STARZ® and
ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original
programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors,
including cable operators, satellite television providers, and
telecommunications companies. As of March 31, 2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined
56.7 million subscribers, including 21.6 million at STARZ, and 35.1
million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship
channels in the U.S. STARZ® and
ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network
MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly
across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and
authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and
MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires
entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on
DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz
Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution
business units distribute original programming content produced by
Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third
parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie
content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences
worldwide.
About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures
Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures
Entertainment company, is one of the television industry's leading
content providers. It produces and distributes programming in
every genre, around the world and for a multitude of
platforms. In addition to one of the industry's largest
libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and
formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program
slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows,
landmark off-network series, original animated series and
critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and
telefilms. SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production
companies in 15 countries outside the U.S. and also maintains
offices in 32 countries. SPT's worldwide television networks
portfolio includes 124 channel feeds available in 159 countries,
reaching more than 800 million households worldwide. SPT also
creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video
website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns production company Embassy
Row and is a part owner of cable channel Game Show Network (GSN),
3D channel 3net, premier horror/thriller website and VOD service
FEARnet and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks,
Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national
advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in
SPT's syndicated series as well as in U.S. digital businesses
including FEARnet, DrOz.com and PlayStation.
"Outlander" Online
Facebook: www.facebook.com/outlandertvseries.starz
Twitter: @Outlander_Starz - join the conversation with
#OutlanderStarz
Contacts:
|
Theano
Apostolou
|
Paula
Askanas
|
Shannon
Buck
|
Starz
|
Sony Pictures
Television
|
Starz
|
(424)
204-4052
|
(310)
244-3790
|
(424)
204-4173
|
theano@starz.com
|
paula_askanas@spe.sony.com
|
shannon.buck@starz.com
|
SOURCE Starz