ABC FAMILY AND MGM PLEDGE TO TAKE VIEWERS ON A DARK WALK DOWN SORORITY ROW WITH "THE INITIATION OF SARAH"
Remake of Classic Thriller Stars Jennifer Tilly, Mika Boorem, Summer Glau and Original Cast Member Morgan Fairchild
BURBANK, CA (April 20, 2006) -- ABC Family and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. are partnering on a remake of the 1978 MGM horror/thriller THE INITIATION OF SARAH, slated to premiere on ABC Family during the cable network's eighth annual 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN tent pole programming event. 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN features Halloween themed programming airing the 13 nights leading up to Halloween (October 19-31). The movie tells of the story of Sarah, a young sorority girl with mysterious powers, who unwittingly becomes the focus of a century old battle between good and evil.
Mika Boorem ("Sleepover" �Augusta, Gone�) stars in the title role of Sarah. Summer Glau ("Serenity") will play Sarah's naive and put-upon twin sister, Lindsey, while Jennifer Tilly ("The Haunted Mansion") is on board as Sarah's mentor and the school's resident enchantress, Dr. Hunter. Also joining the cast is original �The Initiation of Sarah� cast-mate Morgan Fairchild (�Falcon Crest�), Joanna Garcia (�Reba�) and Tessa Thompson (�Veronica Mars�). Stuart Gillard ("Charmed," "One Tree Hill," "The Outer Limits") is set to direct, with Craig Roessler, Sara Berrisford and Hudson Hickman serving as executive producers, along with supervising producer Karen Spiegel and producer Lampton Enoch. �The Initiation of Sarah� is written by Dan Berendsen (�The Cutting Edge: Going For the Gold�). Production is slated to begin May 1 on location in Shreveport, Louisiana.
�We think this movie is going to be just perfect for our successful �13 Nights of Halloween� franchise,� said Paul Lee, president, ABC Family. �It�s suspenseful, scary and frequently wickedly funny, and we�ve got just the cast of leading ladies to pull it off.�
The co-production of "The Initiation of Sarah" follows on the heels of the premiere of MGM's "The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold" on ABC Family. The original film, starring Christy Carlson Romano, premiered in early March and became the network's highest rated original movie in over two years, bringing in just over 3.4 million viewers.
"We're thrilled to be in partnership with ABC Family on the reinventing of this frightening and often comedic tale," said Charles Cohen, executive vice president of MGM. "We're also very excited to be working with Mika Boorem again, as well as with the immensely talented Jennifer Tilly and Summer Glau. Mika and Summer are two exciting young stars who light up the screen and Jennifer is extremely popular with audiences and always delivers a stellar performance for any role she accepts.�
About ABC Family
Distributed in over 89 million homes, ABC Family features original movies, series and specials. Storytelling about today's relationships � with all of their diversity, dysfunction, humor and passion.
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world�s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,000 titles. Operating units including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 110 countries. MGM ownership is currently as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
|