SAM WORTHINGTON TAPPED TO STAR IN DISCOVERY'S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED SCRIPTED SERIES "MANIFESTO"

(LOS ANGELES) - Discovery Channel announced today that Sam Worthington ("Hacksaw Ridge," "Avatar") has been cast in its upcoming highly-anticipated scripted series MANIFESTO, set to air next year. Produced with Lionsgate and Trigger Street Productions, the series will tell the story of how the FBI brought down Ted Kaczynski (played by Paul Bettany), also known as the "Unabomber," one of the most infamous criminal masterminds in the world. Worthington will portray FBI Agent Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald, one of the most decorated profilers in the history of the Bureau, whose radical new approach to intelligence gathering ultimately took Kaczynski down. This series will feature Worthington's first major leading role on U.S. television.

Worthington currently stars as Captain Glover in Mel Gibson's critically-acclaimed "Hacksaw Ridge." Most notably, he starred as Jake Sully in James Cameron's "Avatar" and as Marcus Wright in "Terminator Salvation." He also has had major roles in such high-profile films as "Clash of the Titans," "The Debt," "Texas Killing Fields," "Man on a Ledge" and "Wrath of the Titans." Worthington also provided the voice for the "Call of Duty: Black Ops" video games.

MANIFESTO is from Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti's Trigger Street and writer Andrew Sodroski, who topped Hollywood's famed Black List for screenplays in 2013 with "Holland, Michigan." Emmy(R) Award-winning television producer and director Greg Yaitanes ("Quarry," "Banshee") will executive produce, direct and serve as showrunner.

The series is part of the push to add a select number of high-end scripted projects to Discovery's line-up under the leadership of Rich Ross, Group President of Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel. Ross recruited producer John Goldwyn to drive the scripted initiative. Goldwyn also served as executive producer for Discovery's "Harley and the Davidsons," which delivered more than 4.4 million viewers for Discovery this past September and became the most watched single-network cable miniseries in 3.5 years .

MANIFESTO will trace how Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald challenged the "old school" ways with his radical new approach to intelligence gathering. Fitzgerald had training as a profiler, but it was his focus on linguistics that became vital to breaking the case. He believed that the key to unlocking the true identity of the Unabomber would be found in the language of The Manifesto, a detailed account of some of Kaczynski's plots.

MANIFESTO is produced with Lionsgate and Trigger Street Productions. Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti, Troy Searer and Greg Yaitanes are Executive Producers. John Goldwyn will serve as Executive Producer on behalf of Discovery. Jim Fitzgerald will serve as Consulting Producer.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses. These include the ground-breaking hit series Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite drama series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama series The Royals, the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual and the breakout success Greenleaf. The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me and John Wick series, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, the critically-acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge, Nerve, CBS Films/Lionsgate's Hell or High Water, Sicario, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films' Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com