JOHN TRAVOLTA TAKES STARRING ROLE IN FX'S "AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON"

Award-Winning Actor and Producer to Play Attorney Robert Shapiro, a Key Member of O.J. Simpson's Defense "Dream Team," and He Will Also Serve as Producer of the 10-Part Miniseries

He Returns to Television for His First Starring Role Since Welcome Back, Kotter

LOS ANGELES, January 7, 2015 - Welcome back indeed! In his first television starring role since Welcome Back, Kotter, award-winning actor and producer John Travolta will star as defense attorney Robert Shapiro in the FX miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, from Executive Producers Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto.

The two-time Academy Award(R) nominated and Golden Globe(R) Award winning Travolta will portray Shapiro, a key member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" during the sensational murder trial. He will also serve as a producer of the 10-part miniseries.

Travolta joins a stellar cast which includes David Schwimmer as O.J. Simpson's confidant and attorney Robert Kardashian, Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson, and Emmy(R) and Golden Globe Award nominated actress Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark, who currently stars in American Horror Story: Freak Show.

American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is written by Golden Globe-winning producers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Big Eyes, The People v. Larry Flynt). Emmy and Golden Globe award winning producer and Emmy Award winning Director Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, The Normal Heart) will direct the first episode. American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions. Production begins this spring in Los Angeles.

Based on the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, the miniseries is a look at the O.J. Simpson trial told from the perspective of the lawyers. It explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution overconfidence, defense shrewdness, and the LAPD's history with the city's African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.

John Travolta will next be seen starring opposite Christopher Plummer and Tye Sheridan in The Forger. Travolta recently completed production on three feature films: Criminal Activities, a crime thriller co-starring Michael Pitt and directed by Jackie Earle Haley, In A Valley of Violence, a revenge-driven western co-starring Ethan Hawke and directed by Ti West, and Life On The Line, an action/drama co-starring Kate Bosworth and directed by David Hackl.

Some of Travolta's other film credits include Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Urban Cowboy, Carrie, Blowout, Look Who's Talking, Pulp Fiction, Michael, Phenomenon, A Civil Action, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Primary Colors, Get Shorty, Swordfish, Wild Hogs, Hairspray, and Savages.

Travolta is also a licensed pilot and currently serves as Qantas Airways Global Goodwill "Ambassador-at-Large." He is also a business aircraft brand ambassador for Learjet, Challenger and Global jets for the world's leading business aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier. His other aviation association is with the Breitling Watch Company, for whom he advertises the luxury aviation watches as a professional aviator, and his advertisements can be seen worldwide.

Travolta, along with his wife, actress Kelly Preston, is very involved in their charity, The Jett Travolta Foundation, which raises money for children with educational needs.

Travolta is represented by Randi Michel at Principato-Young Entertainment and WME.

ABOUT FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable channel of FX Networks, a business unit of 21ST Century Fox. FX Networks is comprised of FX, FXM and FXX. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 95 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series, including Justified, The Americans, Tyrant, The Strain and the upcoming Taboo; the critically-acclaimed miniseries American Horror Story, Fargo and the upcoming miniseries American Crime Story; acclaimed hit comedy series including the award-winning Louie, Archer, Married and upcoming The Comedians, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll and Baskets. FX is the former home of the critically-acclaimed and award winning hit drama series The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Damages and Sons of Anarchy. The network's library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's roster of acquired hit series includes Two and a Half Men, In Living Color and Mike & Molly.

ABOUT FOX 21 TELEVISION STUDIOS

The newly formed Fox 21 Television Studios is a production unit housed within Fox Television Group devoted to making creatively ambitious scripted and unscripted series for all distribution platforms. Fox 21 Television Studios currently produces the Emmy and Golden Globe winning Homeland starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, the critically acclaimed The Americans (with FX Productions) starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, Kurt Sutter's smash hit Sons of Anarchy (with FX Productions), Brannon Braga and Adam Simon's supernatural hit Salem, Veena Sud's The Killing, Howard Gordon's Tyrant (with FX productions), Legends from Howard Gordon and Jonathan Levin and the upcoming comedy series The Comedians (with FX productions) from Larry Charles, Matt Nix and Ben Wexler, and starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (with FX productions) starring Denis Leary and John Corbett. In addition to American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson, this spring, the studio begins production on The Bastard Executioner (with FX productions) from Brian Grazer, Kurt Sutter, and Paris Barclay.

ABOUT FX PRODUCTIONS

FX Productions (FXP) produces FX's newest acclaimed hit drama series The Strain; the comedy series Louie, Archer, Married, and the upcoming Baskets, and the FXX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, You're the Worst and the upcoming comedies Man Seeking Woman (Jan. 2015), and The Untitled Tracy Morgan Project (TBD). FXP co-produces the drama series Justified (with Sony Pictures Television), The Americans (with Fox 21 Television Studios), Tyrant (with Fox 21 Television Studios). and the upcoming Taboo (with Scott Free, Hardy Son & Baker, Sonar, and BBC 1); the miniseries Fargo (with MGM Television), which scored 18 Emmy Award nominations and won the Emmy award for Outstanding Miniseries; the upcoming miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (with Fox 21 Television Studios); and the comedies The Comedians (with Fox 21 Television Studios) and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (with Fox 21 Television Studios). In 2014, FXP shows combined to deliver 28 Emmy Award nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Miniseries, and Outstanding Animated Program.