Turner Broadcasting Secures Network Premiere Window for Mega-Blockbuster The Matrix Reloaded from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution
Deal Also Includes Network Windows for A Lot Like Love, Miss Congeniality 2 and Eight Legged Freaks
Turner Broadcasting has secured the network premiere for the sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix Reloaded, as well as network windows for A Lot Like Love, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous and Eight Legged Freaks in a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, according to an announcement by Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TBS and TNT. Jonathan Katz, senior vice president, program planning and acquisitions, Turner Entertainment Group, negotiated the deal on behalf of Turner Broadcasting.
"These movies, with their strong appeal to young adult audiences, represent a great future for TBS and TNT," said Koonin. "They indicate Turner Broadcasting�s continuing commitment to provide top-notch movie entertainment that fits into and builds upon the unique branding environments of each network."
The Matrix Reloaded, which earned more than $280 million in the United States, is the high-octane second installment in the Matrix trilogy. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss star as crusaders determined to prevent a marauding army of machines from taking over the last vestiges of human freedom. The Wachowski Brothers wrote, directed and executive-produced this futuristic thrill ride, with Bruce Berman, Grant Hill and Andrew Mason also serving as executive producers.
A Lot Like Love, currently in theaters, stars Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet in the story of two people who, after meeting on a cross-country flight, decide they are not a good fit for one another. But over the next seven years, they keep bumping into each other, growing from acquaintances to close friends and possibly more. A Lot Like Love is directed by Nigel Cole from a script by Colin Patrick Lynch. Zanne Devine, Suzann Ellis, Jo Farrugia and Charlie Lyons serve as executive-producers.
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, also in theaters now, features Sandra Bullock, reprising her role as FBI agent Gracie Hart. In this hilarious second outing, she is on the trail of kidnappers in Las Vegas. Regina King, Enrique Murciano and William Shatner co-star, with John Pasquin directing from a script by Marc Lawrence. Bruce Berman and Mary McLaglen serve as executive producers.
Eight Legged Freaks is a side-splitting homage to the giant bug movies of the 1950s. Kari Wuhrer stars as a sheriff who must tackle arachnids who have been turned into oversized monsters by toxic waste. David Arquette, as her boyfriend, lends a helping hand, along with Scarlett Johansson and Doug E. Doug. Ellory Elkayem directed this comic thriller from a script he wrote with Jesse Alexander. Roland Emmerich, William Fay and Peter Winther serve as executive producers.
Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution (WBDCD) is one of the leading suppliers of programming to the pay television and basic cable marketplaces. WBDCD is responsible for sales, marketing and distribution of already-produced product from the Studio's vast library, including feature films, television series, mini-series, television movies and specials to basic cable and pay television. WBDCD is also a major licensor of feature films to the broadcast networks.
Turner Network Television (TNT), television�s destination for drama and one of cable�s top-rated networks, offers original movies and limited series, including Into the West, an epic six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg; original recurring series, including the detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, and the crime thriller Wanted, with Gary Cole; powerful one-hour dramas, such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER, NYPD Blue, Charmed, Judging Amy and Angel; broadcast premiere movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is also available in high-definition.
TBS is television�s "very funny" network, serving as home to such hot contemporary comedies as Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends; high-profile original series, such as The Real Gilligan�s Island and Minding the Store; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.
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