PRODUCTION TO BEGIN ON NEW HBO DRAMA SERIES BIG LOVE, STARRING BILL PAXTON, JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN, CHLOE SEVIGNY, GINNIFER GOODWIN AND HARRY DEAN STANTON

Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Mark V. Olsen And Will Scheffer Are Executive Producers

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2005 - Production is set to begin on the 12-episode first season of the new HBO drama series BIG LOVE, it was announced today by Carolyn Strauss, president, HBO Entertainment. Bill Paxton ("Twister," "A Simple Plan"), Jeanne Tripplehorn ("The Firm," "Very Bad Things"), Chloe Sevigny ("Boys Don't Cry," "Dogville"), Ginnifer Goodwin ("Mona Lisa Smile," "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!") and Harry Dean Stanton ("The Green Mile," "Anger Management") star in the series, which follows the lives of a polygamist, his three wives and their families.

Slated for debut later this year, BIG LOVE is executive produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (writer of HBO's "In the Gloaming"), who produced the independent feature film "Easter."

"BIG LOVE boasts a terrific creative lineup, both before and behind the cameras," noted Strauss. "In the tradition of other groundbreaking HBO series, I'm sure this offbeat show will spark intense interest from viewers and critics alike."

Created by Mark V. Olson and Will Scheffer, BIG LOVE tells the story of Bill Henrickson (Paxton) and his life in suburban Salt Lake City, balancing the needs of his three wives -- Barb (Tripplehorn), Nicki (Sevigny) and Margene (Goodwin) -- their seven kids, three new houses and the opening of his newest hardware store. When disturbing news arrives about Bill's father, he is forced to reconnect with his polygamist parents who live on a fundamentalist compound in rural Utah.

Also featured in BIG LOVE are Bruce Dern ("Monster") and Grace Zabriskie ("Twin Peaks") as the parents of Paxton's character. Other cast regulars include Daveigh Chase, Shawn Doyle, Joel McKinnon Miller, Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, Melora Walters and Jolean Wejbe. Also appearing in the first episode will be Mary Kay Place and Matt Ross.

BIG LOVE is created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer; executive producers, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer; co-executive producers, Alexa Junge and David Knoller; consulting producer, David Manson; supervising producers, Jeanette Collins & Mimi Friedman; producers, Bernadette Caulfield, Jill Sprecher & Karen Sprecher; staff writers, Dustin Lance Black and Eileen Myers; casting, Junie Lowry Johnson, C.S.A. & Libby Goldstein. The first episode of BIG LOVE is directed by Rodrigo Garcia (HBO's "Six Feet Under" and "The Sopranos").