or


[10/07/08 - 12:29 PM]
Terry Pratchett's the Color of Magic Set to Make U.S. Debut on Ion Television
Sean Astin, Tim Curry and Sir David Jason star in the four-hour event, airing Sunday, November 23 at 7:00/6:00c.

[via press release from ION Media Networks]

TERRY PRATCHETT'S THE COLOR OF MAGIC SET TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT ON ION TELEVISION

RHI Original Miniseries Starring Sean Astin, Tim Curry and Sir David Jason, To Premiere Sunday, November 23

(West Palm Beach, Fla. and New York, N.Y. � October 07, 2008) � ION Television, the "Positively Entertaining" general entertainment network available to over 94 million homes, and RHI Entertainment, the leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking movies, miniseries and series for television, today announced the U.S. debut of The Color of Magic, a four-hour original production making its television premiere on ION Television on Sunday, November 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The miniseries will be broadcast in its entirety in one evening.

Based on the first two books in best-selling author Terry Pratchett's hugely popular Discworld series, The Color of Magic stars Oscar nominee Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Toy Soldiers, Rudy), Emmy nominee Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Kinsey) and Sir David Jason (RHI's Hogfather). Additionally, Emmy Award-winning actor Brian Cox (Bourne trilogy, Running with Scissors) serves as the narrator and Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars Episodes II and III) takes on the vocal role of Death.

Discworld, a magical realm, has got its first tourist! Rincewind (Sir David Jason), an incompetent and cynical wizardry student, has recently been expelled from Unseen University and been given the task of guiding Twoflower (Sean Astin) through the city state of Ankh Morpork. The two are forced to flee the city after a terrible fire and are sent on a fantastical journey across the Disc, which is unknowingly being controlled by a board game played by the Gods. Along the way Rincewind encounters a few problems: firstly, as an expert coward, he doesn't feel he's the best person to guard a naive - and extremely rich, by local standards - tourist through one of the roughest cities in the multiverse. Then, of course, Rincewind experiences a vicious and bloody struggle with his arch-enemy, the power-hungry maniac Trymon (Tim Curry). Oh, and the world is coming to an end. Can Rincewind defeat his nemesis and save Discworld from ultimate destruction?

This critically acclaimed mini-series, which first debuted overseas, received rave reviews from the British press. TV Easy called it "visually stunning"; "Menacing performances from Tim Curry and Jeremy Irons are great." � TV Times; "With a starry cast, it's a wild adventure through a land full of magic and mystery." � TV Choice; "The two-part adventure will have you spellbound." � We Love Telly; and "It's the Lord of the Rings with a comic twist." � Bella.

"Originals such as The Color of Magic are invigorating ION Television," said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. "We are thrilled to provide compelling productions, airing alongside proven hit series, as we continue to build an entertaining network geared at the adult 25-54 audience."

"Major productions such as The Color of Magic are rapidly making the RHI movies on ION synonymous with must-see television," said Robert Halmi Jr., President and CEO of RHI Entertainment. "As we continue to deliver the finest in original event programming, awareness keeps growing and viewership keeps building." As one of the most popular authors today, Terry Pratchett has sold nearly 55 million books worldwide. Also based on another of Mr. Pratchett's Discworld novels, RHI's hit miniseries Hogfather aired on ION Television in November 2007. With a fan base spreading around the globe, the series of 36 Discworld books has been translated into over 35 languages.

Attracting over a million viewers, The Color of Magic first broadcast on Sky One, a UK entertainment TV channel, in March of 2008. The two-part television adaptation was well received by fans, garnering Sky One's highest performing program to date and scoring the largest audiences for the network since Hogfather aired in December of 2006.

The Color of Magic was filmed at London's legendary Pinewood Studios. The film was produced by Ian Sharples and Rod Brown and directed by Vadim Jean, who also directed RHI's Hogfather. RHI's Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. serve as executive producers on the project.

About ION Television

ION Television (www.iontelevision.com) is a general entertainment network which reaches over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION Television features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group. Using its digital multicasting capability, ION Media Networks has launched the digital TV brands qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.

About RHI Entertainment

RHI Entertainment (NASDAQ: RHIE) develops, produces and distributes new made-for-television movies, miniseries and other television programming worldwide, and is the leading provider of new long-form television content in the United States. Under the leadership of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed thousands of hours of quality television programming, and RHI's productions have received more than 100 Emmy Awards. During 2007, RHI developed, produced and distributed 43 new television movies and miniseries to broadcast and cable networks around the world. In addition to the development, production and distribution of new content, RHI owns rights to approximately 1,000 titles, or over 3,500 broadcast hours of long-form television programming, which are licensed to broadcast and cable networks and new media outlets globally. For more consumer information visit www.rhitv.com.





  [october 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· COLOR OF MAGIC, THE (ION)
· HOGFATHER (ION)





[09/09/26 - 01:01 PM]
Star-Studded Lineup Set to Present at the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
They'll join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/09/26 - 12:09 PM]
ESPN to Exclusively Televise MLB Doubleheader on September 23 Featuring Matchups with Postseason Implications
Look for Cleveland Guardians/Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners on said date.

[09/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of August 31
"Reacher," "Sterling Point," "Off Campus," "The Grand Tour," and "The Traitors" led all original series worldwide.

[09/09/26 - 11:51 AM]
BYUtv's "Big Stories" Returns for Fourth Season Featuring NFL Legends and Untold Stories from Across the Big 12
Each 7-to 10-minute episode will be available to stream for free alongside each game on the BYUtv app and at BYUtv.org.

[09/09/26 - 10:52 AM]
Lifetime Announces New Original Documentary "Kimora Lee: On Her Own" Premiering September 20
Model, businesswoman and mother, Kimora Lee, tells her story through candid interviews with her children, family, friends and collaborators to chronicle her extraordinary journey from one of Karl Lagerfeld's youngest Chanel models to the visionary behind Baby Phat.

[09/09/26 - 10:15 AM]
Michael Kelly Joins Season Three of the Paramount+ Hit Series "Landman"
Kelly will star as William Crockett, the leader of the largest oil management firm in the world.

[09/09/26 - 10:01 AM]
Host Jane Krakowski and New Bandleader Robin Thicke Set the Stage for an All-New Season of "Celebrity Name That Tune"
Ice-T and Tony Hawk face off in the season premiere on Monday, September 21.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" to Premiere 52nd Season Sept. 26 on NBC and Peacock
Jalen Brunson, Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, and Inde Navarrette are the first wave of hosts.

[09/09/26 - 10:00 AM]
Prime Video Announces 2026 New York Comic Con Programming
"Blade Runner 2099," "Bloodaxe," and "Helluva Boss" are the featured projects.

[09/09/26 - 09:19 AM]
Johnny Knoxville and the Gang Make One Final Raucous Return for "Jackass: Best and Last," Streaming on Paramount+ September 24
Grab your buddies, raise your glasses and experience the cinematic event that promises to be the last time you'll ever laugh this hard.

[09/09/26 - 09:16 AM]
New Dating Series Will Discover If Singles Can Fall in "Love at First Sight"
Do you believe you could see someone and know instantly that they're the one?

[09/09/26 - 09:07 AM]
Nirvana to Receive Video Vanguard Award During "2026 MTV Video Music Awards" Airing Live Sept. 27 on CBS
On this date in 1992 (9/9/92), Nirvana took to the "VMAs" stage for the first time - shaping music, culture and MTV forever.

[09/09/26 - 09:05 AM]
"Ghost Adventures" Returns with Chilling All-New Season - Wednesday, September 30 on Discovery Channel
Navigating abandoned frontier towns, centuries-old landmarks and historic estates, investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley and Billy Tolley delve into the shadows of America's turbulent past in pursuit of restless dark forces wreaking havoc on the living.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: HBO Max Releases Trailer for "The Howard Stern Show"
Each week, Howard's SiriusXM show will be adapted into a streamable episode for HBO Max.

[09/09/26 - 09:01 AM]
USA Network's "The Rainmaker" Returns for Season 2 on Friday, October 16 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT
In 2025, "The Rainmaker" became USA Network's most-watched freshman series in seven years and finished the year as the #1 highest-rated new scripted TV series across all of cable.