BENJAMIN BRATT, ERIC MCCORMACK, RICK SCHRODER, ANDRE BRAUGHER, CHRISTA MILLER, DANIEL DAE KIM, VIOLA DAVIS & TED WHITTALL TO STAR IN THE A&E ORIGINAL MINISERIES THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN

PRODUCTION BEGAN JULY 3 IN VANCOUVER

New York, NY � July 12, 2007 � Benjamin Bratt ("Law & Order," Miss Congeniality), Rick Schroder ("24," "NYPD Blue"), Eric McCormack ("Will & Grace"), Christa Miller ("Scrubs," "The Drew Carey Show"), Andre Braugher ("Thief," "Homicide: Life on the Streets"), Daniel Dae Kim ("Lost"), Viola Davis ("Traveler") and Ted Whittall ("Falcon Beach") have signed on to star in the A&E original miniseries THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN it was announced today by Tana Nugent Jamieson, Senior Vice President, Drama Programming, A&E Network. Production commenced July 3, 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The four-hour miniseries is from Executive Producers Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator), Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Top Gun) and David W. Zucker ("Numb3rs") for Scott Free Productions and Tom Thayer ("Kojak") of Traveler's Rest Films. Directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Mikael Saloman (Backdraft, The Abyss), the script is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan (The Quiet American) and based on Michael Crichton's best-selling debut novel.

A deadly bacteria � code named The Andromeda Strain - is let loose after a U.S. government satellite crash-lands in Utah. The bacteria unleashes a lethal plague that wipes out an entire town leaving only two survivors - an old man and an infant � to provide clues to immunizing the population. As the military tries to contain the spreading disaster, only a hastily assembled team of scientists can hope to find a cure and stop the Andromeda Strain from spreading.

Benjamin Bratt stars as Dr. Jeremy Stone, an epidemiologist who heads up the team of scientists assembled to stop The Andromeda Strain from spreading. Best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Detective Rey Curtis in "Law & Order," additional television credits include "E-Ring," Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "Frasier." Bratt has appeared in many feature films including The Next Best Thing, Miss Congeniality, Traffic, Catwoman and the recent independent feature Thumbsucker.

Eric McCormack stars as Jack Nash, an investigative reporter for NNT who struggles to control his addictive personality. McCormack won an Emmy for his starring role as Will in the long-running, critically-acclaimed series "Will & Grace." His television credits include "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years" as well as guest starring roles on "Ally McBeal" and "Veronica's Closet." His feature film credits include The Holy Man, Free Enterprise, Here's to Life and the independent film The Sisters.

Rick Schroder stars as Major Bill Keene, MD, a virologist from the Army's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease. Schroeder made his feature film debut at the age of 9 in the 1979 remake of The Champ, winning a Gold Globe Award for his performance. His television credits include "Silver Spoons," "Lonesome Dove," "Return to Lonesome Dove," "NYPD Blue," "Strong Medicine," "Scrubs" and his recent recurring role on "24."

Christa Miller stars as Dr. Angela Noyce, a surgeon, exobiologist and specialist in Tropical and Exotic diseases. Miller is best known for her starring role as Jordan Sullivan in "Scrubs" and Kate O'Brien in "The Drew Carey Show." Other television credits include "Seinfeld," "Party of Five," "Northern Exposure" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Her feature film credits include Deceived and Love and Happiness.

Andre Braugher stars as General George Mancheck a US Army Biochemical Research officer. Braugher is best known for his five-season Emmy-winning stint as a detective on "Homicide: Life on the Streets." Braugher received his second Emmy for his portrayal of a criminal in the miniseries "Thief." Additional television credits include "Gideon's Crossing" and "Hack." Braugher recently appeared in The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and other film credits include Glory, City of Angels and Poseidon.

Daniel Dae Kim stars as Dr. Tsi Chou, a microbiologist who once served as the premiere biological weapons designer for the North Korean government and now is a US-based bio-terrorism consultant. Dae Kim currently stars in the critically-acclaimed television series "Lost." His television credits include recurring roles on "24," "ER," and Angel as well as guest spots on "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue," "Seinfeld," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal," "Star Trek: Voyager," "CSI," "Without a Trace" and "The Shield." His film credits include the Academy Award winning feature Crash as well as The Jackal, The Hulk and Spider-Man 2.

Viola Davis stars as Dr. Charlene Barton a pathologist formerly of the Centers for Disease Control now at the San Francisco health department. Davis' television credits include "Traveler," "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue" and "City of Angels." Her feature film credits include Far from Heaven, Antwone Fisher, Amy & Isabelle, Kate and Leopold, Solaris, Traffic and Out of Sight.

Ted Whittall stars as President Dale Scott, a Southern conservative nearing the end of his first term. Whittall's television credits include "Falcon Beach," "Degrassi: The Next Generation," "Kevin Hill," "The State Within" and "Further Tales of the City." His feature film credits include Heist, Wicker Park and The Bone Collector.

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN is produced by Scott Free Productions and Traveler's Rest Films for A&E Network.

About A&E Network

Now reaching more than 93 million homes, A&E Network offers a diverse mix of high quality entertainment; ranging from the network's signature Real-Life Series franchise, including the hit series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," "Intervention," "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," "Flip This House" and "Criss Angel Mindfreak," to critically acclaimed original movies, dramatic series and the most successful justice shows on cable. A&E is the official basic cable home to the high-profile series "The Sopranos," "CSI: Miami" and "24." The A&E Network website is located at www.aetv.com. The A&E Insider is located at www.aetv.com/insider. For more information and photography please visit us on the web at www.aetvpress.com.