ReelzChannel to Premiere "XIII" Original Drama Series

What If America's Biggest Threat Became Homeland Security's Top Asset?

Stuart Townsend and Aisha Tyler Star in Spy Thriller Action Series Set for U.S. Premiere in June 2012

(Albuquerque, NM) Monday, April 9, 2012 - REELZCHANNEL - TV About Movies(R) today announced the network will premiere its second original scripted drama with the spy thriller action series XIII, starring Stuart Townsend and Aisha Tyler. XIII is the story of a man's quest to uncover the truth about his identity. Named for the Roman numeral tattooed on his neck, XIII (Townsend) is a former secret operative who has been stripped of his memory. He does not know who he is, what he is trained to be or whom he serves. Hunted by a dark anti-government organization, XIII searches for clues that will uncover the secret that makes him so valuable - and so potentially dangerous. Jones (Tyler) is a government agent and XIII's most loyal ally. She is also under Presidential orders to discover what, if anything, XIII knows.

See a special sneak peek of XIII this Friday, April 13th during True Justice episode three, "Black Magic", airing 9pm ET and at 9pm PT. See the XIII sneak peek again on Hollywood Dailies on Monday, April 16th at 5:30pm ET/ 2:30pm PT and on Naked Trailers on Thursday, April 19th at 11:30pm PT/ 2:30am ET. The June 2012 premiere of XIII will come on the heels of the season finale for the network's first original series, True Justice, starring Steven Seagal.

XIII was developed and produced by Jay Firestone's Prodigy Pictures and Luc Besson's French production company EuropaCorp Television (La Femme Nikita). The series is based on Jean Van Hamme's adrenaline-fueled graphic novels, which have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide since the first volume was published 25 years ago. XIII has already been recognized by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers with its 2012 Award for Excellence for TV Series Cinematography.

"If you combined the Bourne Identity movies with the 24 TV series, you have XIII," said Matthew Singerman, REELZCHANNEL SVP of Programming. "It's an exciting, riveting show with action and drama that will keep our viewers on the edge of their seats. The XIII series also serves as a great platform for TV About Movies(R) programming, providing many great topics for taking viewers inside the timeless genre of spy thriller and secret agent action movies."

"I'm thrilled that fans of XIII will have the opportunity to see this incredible series on REELZCHANNEL," said Jay Firestone, Executive Producer for XIII. "REELZ is the perfect home for XIII as it's a network committed to shows that are cinematic in scope."

Executive producers of XIII include Prodigy Pictures' Jay Firestone (Lost Girl, La Femme Nikita, Relic Hunter) and EuropaCorp Television's Edouard De Vésinne and Thomas Anargyros. Showrunner and executive producer Gil Grant (24, NCIS: Los Angeles) wrote the pilot episode. Duane Clark (CSI: NY, XIII: The Conspiracy) directed three episodes of the season.

XIII stars Aisha Tyler (24, CSI, The Talk) as Jones, a top CIA operator, Virginie Ledoyen (The Beach) as Irina, a mercenary hired by the former U.S. President to track XIII, and Bond Girl, Caterina Murino (Casino Royale) as Sam, XIII's trustworthy ally and love interest. Also starring in XIII is Greg Bryk (Immortals, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter) as Amos, a national security officer, Stephen McHattie (Immortals, 2012) as President Carrington and Ted Atherton (Max Payne, The Border) as Wally Sharidan, the former U.S. President and a possible traitor. Tom Berenger (Inception, Training Day) guest stars as Gerhardt, a mysterious European industrialist who wields power from the shadows.

XIII gives REELZ the perfect opportunity to integrate and demonstrate its unique approach to TV About Movies(R). As the series approaches, viewers will go behind-the-scenes of XIII through exclusives featured on Hollywood Dailies and REELZ Specials, including a behind-the-scenes look at the show and a REELZ Countdown show featuring the greatest spy movies of all time.

About Prodigy Pictures

Founded in 2006 by Jay Firestone, Prodigy Pictures leads in the production of quality film, television, and cross-platform media. Prodigy is responsible for the critically acclaimed television series Lost Girl, which has electrified viewers around the world and will soon begin production on its third season. In January 2012, Lost Girl made its highly successful U.S. broadcast debut on SyFy channel.

Prodigy's other credits include the critically acclaimed feature Stuck and the television mini-series XIII, broadcast on NBC. The company has several feature film and television projects in development, including William Gibson's Neuromancer, and Weapon, in partnership with Studio 37.

About EuropaCorp Television

Over the past decade, under the management of Edouard de Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros, EuropaCorp Television has become one of France's most vibrant independent production companies. By focusing its ambitious development strategy on the production of domestic and international series, EuropaCorp Television has grown to become the country's 6th largest provider of primetime programming. With its strong creative development skills and financial expertise, EuropaCorp Television produces an annual slate of high-quality television films and series. Recent highlights include: Fracture, directed by Alain Tasma, telecast on France 2 and Flight of the Storks, a high profile mini-series based on Jean-Christophe Grange's book, directed by Jan Kounen, and coproduced with Germany and South Africa. EuropaCorp Television has been honoured with many domestic and international awards including an International Emmy Award for the political drama Nuit Noire.

About REELZCHANNEL

REELZCHANNEL - TV About Movies(R) is the only cable and satellite network devoted to delivering entertaining and informative programming that is all about movies, including the celebrities, fashion, music and stories behind the stories. With shows featuring movie and entertainment experts, including Leonard Maltin, Richard Roeper and Sam Rubin, viewers get trusted insight into movies wherever they're playing, whether in theaters or at home.

REELZCHANNEL reaches more than 62 million homes on DIRECTV channel 238, Dish Network channel 299, Verizon FiOS TV channel 233, AT&T U-verse channels 799/1799HD and cable systems nationwide. Find REELZCHANNEL in your area by entering your zip code at www.reelz.com/watch. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, REELZCHANNEL is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM with an entertainment bureau in Los Angeles.