CINEMAX ANNOUNCES 2018 ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING LINEUP

Projects Include Return Of Fan Favorite STRIKE BACK; Debut Of Thriller RELLIK; Dramatic Series C.B. STRIKE, Based On Novels Written By J.K. Rowling (As Robert Galbraith); And Return Of Suspense-Horror Series OUTCAST

CINEMAX has an explosive lineup set for Friday nights in 2018, with a varied slate of dynamic, action-packed original programming highlighted by new and returning series.

"We are very excited to present a slate that moves CINEMAX back in the direction of fun, often adrenalized, and always entertaining series," says Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming. "We have strategically seized upon co-production opportunities that allow us to maximize the impact and production value of these shows for our viewers."

Shows include (in chronological order):

STRIKE BACK (debuting Feb. 2) returns for a ten-episode fifth season of high-intensity action, introducing new members of Section 20. Disavowed and disbanded, the unit is restored to track down a notorious terrorist after a brutal prison break. Tasked with covert military intelligence and high-risk operations, the resurrected Section 20 embarks on a lethal manhunt that will uncover a vast web of interconnected criminal activity. As the team journeys across the Middle East and Europe, it uncovers a deadly conspiracy that threatens to change the face of modern warfare forever. Warren Brown ("Luther," "The Dark Knight Rises"), Daniel MacPherson ("Infini"), Roxanne McKee (HBO's "Game of Thrones"; "Crossfire") and Alin Sumarwata ("Burning Man") star. MJ Bassett returns to executive produce and direct.

RELLIK (April 13), an original six-part thriller, stars Richard Dormer (HBO's "Game Of Thrones") as Gabriel, an obsessive and disfigured UK police detective, and Jodi Balfour (CINEMAX's "Quarry") as Elaine, his bright and intense partner. Focusing on a serial killer, the story begins with the capture of the suspect and moves backwards in time to the crime itself. Obsessed with his hunt for the killer, Gabriel's story becomes intrinsically bound to that of his suspect, asking the question, "What are the experiences that forge the people we all become?" Four episodes are directed by Sam Miller, and two by Hans Herbots.

C.B. STRIKE (June) is a dramatic series based on the best-selling crime novels written by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Starring Tom Burke ("Only God Forgives"), the story centers on Strike, a war veteran turned private detective, operating out of a tiny office in London's Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's unique insight and his background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving three complex cases that have baffled the police. The series launches with three one-hour episodes based on the first book in the trilogy, "The Cuckoo's Calling" (directed by Michael Keillor), followed by adaptations of the remaining two books, "The Silkworm" (directed by Kieron Hawkes) and "Career of Evil" (directed by Charles Sturridge), both of which will consist of two one-hour episodes.

OUTCAST (July) continues the suspenseful mystery of what lies behind the town of Rome's supernatural manifestations in the second season of the Skybound/Image comic title by Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta. Patrick Fugit ("Gone Girl," HBO's "Cinema Verité") stars as Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now, with the help of Reverend Anderson, played by Philip Glenister ("Kingdom of Heaven"), a preacher who believes he is a soldier in God's holy war against the forces of evil, Kyle struggles to protect those he holds most dear, now that otherworldly threats prove greater than anticipated. His struggle will grow into a fight for all of his hometown, as he discovers the haunting secrets of his own past.