"BLACK SAILS" CAST TO ATTEND COMIC-CON 2013

CREATORS JONATHAN STEINBERG ("JERICHO," "HUMAN TARGET") AND ROBERT LEVINE ("TOUCH") AND STARS ZACH MCGOWAN, JESSICA PARKER KENNEDY, MARK RYAN AND HAKEEM KAE-KAZIM TO APPEAR

Zach McGowan ("Shameless"), Jessica Parker Kennedy ("The Secret Circle," 50/50), Mark Ryan (Transformers, The Prestige), Hakeem Kae-Kazim ("24," Hotel Rwanda) and "Black Sails" series creators Jonathan Steinberg ("Jericho," "Human Target") and Robert Levine ("Touch") will lead the pirate uprising at Comic-Con 2013 with special appearances. The cast and creators will kick off the previously announced fan-only screening scheduled for Thursday night in San Diego. Additional surprise guest to be announced closer to Comic-Con.

Event Details:

WHAT: Exclusive sneak peek screening of the highly anticipated high-seas STARZ Original drama from Executive Producer Michael Bay, "Black Sails." Series stars Zach McGowan, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and series creators Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine to introduce the first episode which will be screened for fans only. Additional special guest to be announced.

WHEN: Thursday, July 18th. Details to follow.

ABOUT: The pirate adventure "Black Sails" centers on the tales of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his men and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island." Flint, the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver (Luke Arnold). Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day - a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.

Zach McGowan stars as rival Captain Charles Vane; Toby Schmitz as Rackham, Vane's right hand; Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, a determined young woman who runs the smuggling operation on New Providence; Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott, Eleanor's retainer and right hand, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max, a tortured young prostitute who sees the dark side of New Providence; Mark Ryan as Gates, Captain Flint's Quartermaster and most senior member of his crew, Clara Paget as the beautiful but cold-blooded Anne Bonny and Tom Hopper ("Merlin") as Billy Bones, boatswain of Flint's ship.

"Black Sails" is executive produced by Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, producers on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Nightmare on Elm Street (2009). The series was created by showrunner and executive producer Jonathan Steinberg (creator "Jericho," "Human Target") and co-executive producer Robert Levine ("Touch").

"Black Sails" will debut with an eight-episode season in January 2014, exclusively on STARZ.

"Black Sails" Online Website: www.starz.com/originals/BlackSails Facebook: facebook.com/blacksails.starz Twitter: @BlkSails_Starz; join the conversation at: #BlackSails