DON CHEADLE ENTERS SHOWTIME'S "HOUSE OF LIES"

Award-Winning Actor to Headline New, Half-Hour Comedy Pilot from Creator Matthew Carnahan. Production Set for February 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA - (December 13, 2010) - Academy Award(R)-nominated nominated actor Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) has signed on to star in the pilot for HOUSE OF LIES, a half-hour, dark comedy created and written by Matthew Carnahan (Dirt) from the hit tell-all book House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Tell You the Time by Martin Kihn, which will go into production in February 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. Jessica Borsicsky (Flash Forward) will serve as executive producer, and Emmy(R) winner Stephen Hopkins (Californication, 24) will direct.

"Don Cheadle is one of the great dramatic actors of our generation," said SHOWTIME(R) President of Entertainment David Nevins. "He also happens to be an extremely funny man. HOUSE OF LIES is the perfect show to take advantage of both sides of him. Honestly, I would have been happy just to get his autograph."

HOUSE OF LIES is a subversive, scathing look at a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm. Cheadle will star as Marty, a highly successful, cutthroat consultant who is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his clients the information they want.

In his nearly three-decade career, Cheadle has garnered industry recognition and accolades for his diverse body of work - starring in everything from blockbuster comedies (the Ocean's trilogy) to hard-hitting dramas (Hotel Rwanda). He garnered 2005 Best Actor Oscar, Golden Globe(R) and SAG(R) Award nominations for his heartbreaking turn as a hotel manager who housed refugees during the Rwandan genocide in the biographical drama Hotel Rwanda, and in 1999, he took home a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination for his pitch-perfect take on legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rat Pack. HOUSE OF LIES marks a return of sorts to SHOWTIME for Cheadle, who picked up an Emmy award nomination in 2002 for his work in the network's gripping drama Things Behind the Sun, from director Allison Anders. He also earned an Emmy nomination for a guest-starring arc in the series E.R., and was twice-nominated for SAG awards for his work on Picket Fences.

Cheadle has earned award recognition for his work in three critically acclaimed ensemble dramas: in 2006, he earned a Golden Globe award for his memorable turn in Crash (his individual performance in the film garnered him a nomination); a SAG win in 2001 for his work in Traffic; and a SAG nomination in 1998 for Boogie Nights. He also earned a SAG nomination for his star turn opposite Denzel Washington in the 1995 noir Devil in a Blue Dress.

Carnahan is no stranger to dark comedies, having created the provocative series Dirt, starring Courteney Cox as a blood thirsty tabloid editor. Carnahan's film Serpent Girl, based on his own novel and starring Armie Hammer, Malin Akerman, Kate Bosworth and Helen Hunt, will start production next year.