ABC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP ANNOUNCES THE START OF PRODUCTION AND CAST OF THE FOUR-PART MINISERIES, "TITANIC"

Filming Begins May 9 in Budapest, Hungary

From the creative minds of Nigel Stafford Clark and Julian Fellowes, the highly anticipated four-part miniseries "Titanic" begins production MONDAY, MAY 9 in Budapest, Hungary. The miniseries will premiere on the ABC Television Network. "Titanic" is an extraordinary re-telling of the doomed voyage that cleverly weaves action, mystery and romantic plots and features both fictional and historical characters, ranging from steerage passengers to upper class guests, who come together in an explosive and unforgettable finale. Each point of view culminates in a cliff-hanger, as the ship begins to flounder, building to an explosive conclusion that draws together all the stories. Viewers will be taken on a heart-wrenching journey through Titanic's last hours, as it's revealed which of the characters they've come to know so well will survive, and which will not.

"Titanic" stars Linus Roache ("Law & Order," "Batman Begins"), Geraldine Somerville (the "Harry Potter" films, "Survivors"), Noah Reid ("Three Inches," "Jane and the Dragon"), Linda Kash ("Cinderella Man," "Best in Show") , David Eisner ("Flashpoint"), Celia Imrie ("Bridget Jones' Diary," "Kingdom"), Toby Jones ("Captain America," "W."), Perdita Weeks ("The Promise," "Four Seasons"), Lee Ross ("Centurion," "EastEnders"), Jenna-Louise Coleman ("Waterloo Road," "Emmerdale"), Sophie Winkleman ("Peep Show," "The Palace), Steven Waddington ("Sleepy Hollow," "The Tudors"), David Calder ("The World is Not Enough," "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"), James Wilby ("Gosford Park," "Clapham Junction"), Antonio Magro ("Little Dorrit"), Dragos Bucur ("The Way Back," "Youth Without Youth") Stephen Campbell Moore ("Ben Hur," "Ashes to Ashes"), Lyndsey Marshal ("Hereafter," "Being Human," "Rome"), Mark Lewis Jones ("Robin Hood," "The Other Boleyn Girl," "Troy"), Ruth Bradley ("Primeval"), Peter McDonald ("The Damned United," "City Of Vice") and Sylvestra Le Touzel ("Amazing Grace," "Northanger Abbey").

April 2012 marks the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Titanic. To commemorate this significant centenary, BAFTA-winning producer Nigel Stafford Clark ("Bleak House," "Warriors," "The Way We Live Now") has created "Titanic," written by Julian Fellowes, Oscar winning screenwriter of the costume drama "Downton Abbey," as well as "Gosford Park" and "The Young Victoria." Jon Jones ("Going Postal," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "Northanger Abbey") will direct. Nigel Stafford-Clark and Chris Thompson ("Love Actually," "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency") are producers. The miniseries is produced in association with ITV Studios and Shaw Media, who are partnered with Deep Indigo Productions and Lookout Point in the UK, Sienna Films Inc in Canada and Hungary-based Mid Atlantic Films to produce this UK-Hungary-Canada co-production.

"Titanic" is executive-produced by Lookout Point's Simon Vaughan ("Ben Hur," "Coco Chanel," "The Hot Zone" [working title]) together with ITV's Kate Bartlett ("Marchlands," "Identity," Vera"), Sienna Films' Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny ("Diamonds," "The Hot Zone" [w.t.]) and Mid Atlantic Films' Howard Ellis and Adam Goodman ("The Borgias," "Pillars of The Earth") and David Collins of Samson Films, Ireland. "Titanic" is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.