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AMC AND LIONSGATE ANNOUNCE MULTIPLE SEASON DEAL FOR "MAD MEN" WITH MATTHEW WEINER SIGNING LONG-TERM AGREEMENT TO CONTINUE AS SHOWRUNNER
New York - March 31, 2011 - AMC and Lionsgate today announced the
return of the iconic series "Mad Men" for seasons five and six with
series creator Matthew Weiner back on board as showrunner.
Concurrently, it was announced that Weiner has signed a new long-term
deal with Lionsgate, extending into a possible seventh season. The
announcements were made by Charlie Collier, president of AMC, and Kevin
Beggs, president of Lionsgate Television Group.
When AMC debuted "Mad Men" in July 2007 it quickly became one of
the most talked about series on television. Set in 1960s New York,
"Mad Men" is a sexy and provocative original drama that follows
the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue
advertising. Produced by Lionsgate, "Mad Men" has made television
history as the only cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding
Drama and the Golden Globe for Best Television Series-Drama for three
consecutive years.
"I want to thank all of our wonderful fans for their support." said
Weiner. "I also want to thank AMC and Lionsgate for agreeing to support
the artistic freedom of myself, the cast and the crew so that we can
continue to make the show exactly as we have from the beginning. I'm
excited to get started on the next chapter of our story."
"AMC's original programming began with a mission to create bold
storytelling of the highest quality, and 'Mad Men' was the perfect
expression of that commitment. We've been proud to support this show
from the day we read Matt's ground-breaking pilot script and have loved
building it with Matt and Lionsgate into the cultural phenomenon it has
become," said Collier. "For everyone involved in the show and its
passionate fans, we are thrilled to announce that the series will
continue on AMC under the exceptional vision of Matt Weiner."
"We are proud to continue our successful relationships with AMC and
the brilliantly talented Matt Weiner, whose vision has created one of
the most distinguished series on television," said Beggs. "We also
appreciate the passion and patience of 'Mad Men' fans around the
world who have been awaiting this good news, and we believe they will be
rewarded with many more seasons of this extraordinary and groundbreaking
series."
Mad Men's award-winning ensemble cast includes: Golden Globe-winner
Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina
Hendricks, John Slattery, Jared Harris, Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton,
Robert Morse and Kiernan Shipka.
About AMC
AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy(R)
Award for Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row, as well as the
Golden Globe(R) Award for Best Television Series - Drama for three
consecutive years. Whether commemorating favorite films from every
genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC
experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC's
original stories include Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and The
Killing. AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of
storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and
AMC Complete Collection. Available in more than 96 million homes
(Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is owned and operated by Rainbow
Media Holdings LLC, and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance
Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central. AMC is available across all
platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story
Matters Here SM.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is a leading global entertainment company with a
strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and
distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new
channel platforms. The Company has built a strong television presence
in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series,
distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and
an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more
than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and
syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as
"Mad Men," "Weeds," and "Nurse Jackie" along with recent
series such as "Blue Mountain State" and the syndication successes
"Tyler Perry's House Of Payne," its spinoff "Meet The
Browns," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?."
Its feature film business has generated more than half a billion dollars
at the North American box office in the past year, fueled by such hits
as THE EXPENDABLES, which was #1 at the North American box office for
two weeks, THE LAST EXORCISM, TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED
TOO?, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two
Academy Awards(R). The Company's home entertainment business has grown
to more than 7% market share and is an industry leader in box
office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious
and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and
television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and
serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core
businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original,
daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
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