Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-Winning Actress Kim Basinger Makes Her Television Movie Debut in the Lifetime Original Movie 'The Mermaid Chair'

Movie Based on Sue Monk Kidd's Best-Selling Novel to be Directed By Multiple Emmy(R) Award Winner Steven Schachter ('Door to Door,' 'The Wool Cap')

LOS ANGELES, May 8 -- Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-winning actress Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential," "8 Mile," "The Door in the Floor") will make her television movie debut in the Lifetime Original Movie "The Mermaid Chair," based on the #1 New York Times Best Seller, The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd, it was announced today by Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Original Movies. "The Mermaid Chair" is the passionate drama that tells the beautiful and haunting story of a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and self-awakening it ignites. "The Mermaid Chair" will premiere in September 2006 on Lifetime Television.

"We are ecstatic to not only have the opportunity to bring this hugely popular novel to the small screen, but to also have Kim Basinger star in this magical film," said Walton. "We feel this talented actress is the perfect woman to portray the complicated and soulful role of Jessie."

In the movie, Basinger plays Jessie Sullivan, a 42-year-old woman who finds herself restless in her life and 20-year marriage after her daughter leaves for college. She is forced to return to her childhood home on Egret Island when her mother commits an inexplicable act of violence. Jessie's return home reignites the volatile relationship she has with her mother and reawakens nagging questions about her father's death years before. Soon, she meets Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk from the neighboring abby with whom she shares an immediate and powerful connection. As the relationship unfolds, Jessie unlocks the roots of her mother's tormented past and the secrets around her father's death while undergoing a spiritual, artistic and erotic awakening. Her experiences on the island lead Jessie to discover her true self and what she really wants from her life.

Basinger has a long and varied list of film credits. She received the highest degree of public acclaim and professional recognition for her role in "L.A. Confidential," earning an Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) for Best Supporting Actress. Additional film credits include "Hard Country," the James Bond film, "Never Say Never Again," "The Natural," "9 1/2 Weeks," "Batman," "The Marrying Man," "Cool World" and "8 Mile." More recent film credits include "The Door in the Floor" and "Cellular." She can also be seen in the new feature film, "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas.

Sue Monk Kidd has written two novels. The Secret Life of Bees, published in 2002, became a genuine literary phenomenon. It has sold over 4.5 million copies, spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and is currently being adapted into a movie. Kidd's second novel, The Mermaid Chair, released in the spring of 2005, has already sold over 1.5 million copies and has spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was awarded the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction.

"The Mermaid Chair" is co-produced by Randwell Distribution and Nomadic Pictures for Lifetime Television. Randy Robinson ("The Pact," "Lies My Mother Told Me") is the executive producer. Emmy(R) Award winner Steven Schachter ("Door to Door," "The Wool Cap") will direct. Schachter won two Emmy(R) Awards in 2003 for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for "Door to Door." He received an Emmy(R) nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie in 2005 for "The Wool Cap." The teleplay is by Suzette Couture ("Million Dollar Babies," "The Book of Ruth").

Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

SOURCE Lifetime
Web Site: http://www.lifetimetv.com