PRODUCTION HAS BEGUN IN BISBEE, ARIZONA ON "STEPHEN KING'S DESPERATION," AN ORIGINAL, THREE-HOUR MOVIE FROM THE MASTER OF HORROR TO AIR IN 2005 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber, Annabeth Gish, Ron Perlman, Henry Thomas, Matt Frewer and Charles Durning Star

Production has begun in Bisbee, Arizona on "Stephen King's Desperation," in which an unlikely band of people find themselves forced to be reluctant heroes as they battle an unspeakable horror in a small, Nevada desert town. The film, based on the novel by Stephen King -- America's best-selling and award-winning master of horror -- will air as a three-hour original film in 2005 on ABC.

Tom Skerritt ("Picket Fences," "Contact," "Alien"), Steven Weber ("Wings," "Stephen King's The Shining"), Annabeth Gish ("The X-Files," "Mystic Pizza"), Ron Perlman ("Hellboy," TV's "Beauty and the Beast"), Henry Thomas ("Gangs of New York," "ET," "Moby Dick"), Matt Frewer ("Dawn of the Dead," "Stephen King's The Stand," "Max Headroom") and Charles Durning ("Evening Shade," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Tootsie") star.

In the middle of the Nevada desert stands the once proud mining town of Desperation - a harmless, non-descript little community that one may briefly notice on a drive through the vast, empty desert on the way to some distant vacation destination. But something evil has taken over Desperation - its name is Tak, and its mission is to eliminate anyone who gets close to stumbling upon its secret.

While posing as Desperation cop Collie Entragian (Perlman), Tak is able to catch his prey while surveying the nearly empty highway. Caught in his deceptive web are famous author Johnny Marinville (Skerritt), whose misdeeds from the past may come back to haunt him; Ralph (Frewer) & Ellie Carver (Sylva Kelegian) and their son, David (Shane Haboucha) - whose faith may hold the key to bringing down Tak; and Mary Jackson (Ms. Gish) who, with her husband, Peter (Thomas), will discover a courage they never knew they had while battling the beast. Meanwhile, Johnny's aide, Steve Ames (Weber), and his traveling companion, Cynthia (Kelly Overton), find out for themselves the horror that has taken place in Desperation when they go in search of the famous author; and the town's veterinarian, Tom Billingsley (Durning), knows firsthand the secrets of Desperation.

Everyone will soon discover that the unearthing of a long abandoned mine in Desperation awakened Tak, and his control over the desert's animals and insects make him even more invincible to the unlikely band of people who have found themselves forced to become reluctant heroes, as they battle to bring down the beast... and save themselves in the process.

"Stephen King's Desperation" is executive-produced by Mick Garris ("Riding the Bullet," "Stephen King's The Shining," "Stephen King's The Stand"), Stephen King and Mark Sennet ("Martin and Lewis," "Dr. Vegas," "K Street"). Garris also serves as director. The film is from Sennet-Gernstein Entertainment in association with Touchstone Television.