STARZ ANNOUNCES ROSTER OF RECURRING AND GUEST CAST FOR "BLUNT TALK" STARRING PATRICK STEWART AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY SETH MACFARLANE AND JONATHAN AMES

ED BEGLEY JR., SHARON LAWRENCE, MOBY, MARY HOLLAND AND KARAN SONI TO APPEAR, AMONG OTHERS

Beverly Hills, Calif. - February 24, 2015 - The STARZ Original series "Blunt Talk" has cast several recurring and guest roles for the first season of the half-hour scripted comedy series from MRC and executive produced by Seth MacFarlane, Jonathan Ames, Tristram Shapeero and Stephanie Davis.

Ed Begley Jr. ("Arrested Development," "St. Elsewhere"), Mary Holland ("Silicon Valley," "Parks and Recreation"), Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, "Betas") and Romany Malco (Think Like A Man, Top Five) have been cast in recurring roles on the series. Begley will play the husband to Jacki Weaver's character Rosalie. Holland, Soni and Malco complete the staffing of the newsroom of Walter Blunt's cable show.

Additionally musician and actor Moby, Sharon Lawrence ("Rizzoli & Isles," "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Trace Lysette ("Transparent"), Golden Brooks ("Girlfriends"), Windell D. Middlebrooks ("Body of Proof," "Scrubs") and Steve Valentine ("Anger Management") will be making guest star appearances in the series.

The actors join the previously announced cast led by Patrick Stewart (X-Men franchise, Ted) in the role of Walter Blunt, Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) as Rosalie, Blunt's tough and motherly producer-manager and Adrian Scarborough (The King's Speech) as Harry, Blunt's manservant. Dolly Wells ("Doll & Em") who was cast as Celia, Blunt's senior producer and head writer, with Timm Sharp ("Enlightened") who was cast as Jim, Blunt's head writer round out the cast. Actor and comedian Richard Lewis ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") recurs as Dr. Weiss, Blunt's appointed therapist.

Set in Los Angeles, the story follows Walter Blunt, a British import intent on conquering the world of American cable news and the fallout from his well-intentioned, but mostly misguided decision-making, both on and off the air. The series will premiere on STARZ in the summer of 2015.

Through the platform of his nightly cable news show, Blunt is on a mission to impart his wisdom and guidance on how Americans should live, think and behave. Besieged by network bosses, a dysfunctional news staff, numerous ex-wives and children of all ages, Blunt's only support is the alcoholic manservant he transplanted from the U.K. to join him in Los Angeles. The series is greenlit for a two-season, 20-episode commitment.

MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door Productions, Inc. serve as executive producer. Ames, who originated the idea for the series, will also serve as executive producer, writer and showrunner. Tristram Shapeero ("Community") and Stephanie Davis ("Bored to Death") will also serve as executive producers with Shapeero also serving as director. Stewart will also serve as producer on the series.

MRC, the studio behind MacFarlane's directorial debut Ted, which is the highest grossing original comedy of all time worldwide, the highly anticipated sequel, Ted 2, and the award-winning series "House of Cards," is best known as one of the most artist friendly independent studios.

About MRC

MRC is a leading film and television studio, specializing in the creation of content in partnership with the industry's foremost creative talent. The company develops, produces and finances film and TV for leading distributors including Sony, Warner Brothers, Universal and Fox, as well as premier networks including HBO, ABC, Netflix, AMC, Lifetime and Comedy Central. MRC is the studio behind the Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) winning series, House of Cards, distributed by Netflix and various international distributors. The company also developed, produced and financed Ted, distributed by Universal Pictures, the highest grossing original comedy of all time. For more information, please visit www.mrcstudios.com.

About Starz

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com. Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of September 30, 2014, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.2 million subscribers, including 22.5 million at STARZ, and 33.7 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R), along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX(R), air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.