TNT Ramps Up Development on Eight New Series, Including Limited Series Based on Short Stories of Stephen King

Recurring Series Development Underway with Emmy-Winning Producer Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files), Dean Devlin (Independence Day), Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby), Deborah Joy LeVine (The Division), Nancy Miller (CSI: Miami), James Patterson (Along Came a Spider) and Lindsay Sturman (Joan of Arcadia)

Premiere Dates for INTO THE WEST, THE CLOSER and WANTED Set

Turner Network Television (TNT), television�s first network for drama, is gearing up development on several new series, including a limited series based on the stories of bestselling author Stephen King, according to an announcement by Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TNT. In addition, the network is developing six recurring series and has shot a pilot for a series from Emmy�-winning producer Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files). Wright also announced the summer premiere dates for INTO THE WEST, the six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg; THE CLOSER, a new detective drama from The Shephard/Robin Company (Nip/Tuck) in association with Warner Bros. Television, starring Kyra Sedgwick; and WANTED, a crime thriller from Spelling Television and Jorge Zamacona (Homicide: Life on the Street, 10-8), starring Gary Cole.

�We are extremely happy with our new series premiering this summer,� said Wright. �THE CLOSER and WANTED are exciting, intelligent dramas crafted by some of the most talented people working in television today, and they are a fantastic complement to INTO THE WEST, which we believe to be the television event of the year. These shows, together with our new development, make it clear that TNT is committed to bringing the highest-quality original series to our audience.�

TNT has begun development on a limited series based on Stephen King�s short-story anthology NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES, executive-produced by Bill Haber (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) and featuring scripts by some of the television industry�s top scribes.

Six recurring series are being put into development, including CONFESSIONS, a drama about a hit man trying to go straight, from executive producer Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby); GRACE, about an embittered female cop given a divine opportunity to change her life, from Nancy Miller (CSI: Miami); THE MIDNIGHT CLUB, a thriller about a tough New York cop tracking down the head of an international crime organization, from James Patterson (Along Came a Spider); SANCTUARY, set in a mental hospital, from executive producers Deborah Joy LeVine (Lois & Clark, The Division) and Dan Levine (The Division); SMOKE & MIRRORS, about the hustle-and-bustle world of advertising, from writer-producer Lindsay Sturman (Joan of Arcadia) and executive producers Greer Shephard (TNT�s The Closer, Nip/Tuck, The D.A.) and Michael Robin (TNT�s The Closer, Nip/Tuck, The D.A., NYPD Blue) of the Shephard/Robin Company; and TALK TO ME, about the dramatic situations faced by hostage negotiators, from executive producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT�s The Librarian: Quest for the Spear).

TNT also recently completed shooting a pilot for a new series entitled THE DARK, from Cannell. The series follows an FBI team assigned to investigate the most baffling serial killer cases. The pilot was directed by Emmy�-winning director Walter Hill and features an ensemble cast, headed by Billy Burke (24).

The premiere for TNT�s INTO THE WEST, an epic, six-week television event about the settling of the American West, has been set for Friday, June 10, with encores of the first installment on Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12. THE CLOSER will air on TNT Mondays at 9 p.m., beginning June 13. And WANTED will come to the network July 31, airing Sundays at 10 p.m.

The following is the complete slate of upcoming series and current series development at TNT:

INTO THE WEST � Epic Six-Night Original Limited Series

Episode 1: Friday, June 10; Saturday, June 11; and Sunday, June 12, at 8 p.m.

Episode 2: Friday, June 17; Saturday, June 18; and Sunday, June 19, at 8 p.m.

Episode 3: Friday, June 24; Saturday, June 25; and Sunday, June 26, at 8 p.m.

Episode 4: Friday, July 8; Saturday, July 9; and Sunday, July 10, at 8 p.m.

Episode 5: Friday, July 15; Saturday, July 16; and Sunday, July 17, at 8 p.m.

Episode 6: Friday, July 22; Saturday, July 23; and Sunday, July 24, at 8 p.m.

The story of the opening of the American West is given epic treatment in this six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg. This dramatic tale of the adventurous exploration of the American wilderness, the clash of two cultures, the rush to riches in a new land and the building of a new civilization features a starring cast including Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Settle, Keri Russell, Alan Tudyk, Josh Brolin, Beau Bridges, George Leach, Tonantzin Carmelo, Jessica Capshaw, Will Patton, Gary Busey, Zahn McClarnon, Michael Spears and Simon Baker, as well as many others.

INTO THE WEST follows two multi-generational families, one settlers and the other Native American, each telling the dramatic stories of the development of the West from their distinct points of view. One family is the Wheeler clan, a Virginia family of wheelwrights making their trek westward. The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe. Throughout the series, the two families experience the historical and cultural events that led to an epic clash of culture, often coming in contact with notable figures and events from the era.

Darryl Frank (Taken, Las Vegas) and Justin Falvey (Las Vegas), co-heads of DreamWorks Television, serve as executive producers, along with William Mastrosimone (Sinatra, The Burning Season), who also wrote the overall story for the series and the scripts for three of its installments. INTO THE WEST is produced by David A. Rosemont, executive producer of TNT�s Purgatory and Emmy-winning Door to Door.

THE CLOSER � Mondays at 9 p.m., beginning June 13

Two-time Golden Globe nominee Kyra Sedgwick comes to series television as the star of TNT�s THE CLOSER, a taut police drama from the producers of Nip/Tuck and The Agency. Sedgwick stars as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Jean Johnson, a police detective who transfers from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson�s quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world�s best interrogators eventually wins over even her toughest critics. Joining Sedgwick in the series are J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Law & Order, Oz) as Johnson�s boss, Assistant Police Chief Henry Pope; Robert Gossett (Arlington Road, The Net) as Captain Taylor, head of the robbery homicide division; and Jon Tenney (You Can Count on Me, Get Real) as FBI Agent Fritz Howard. THE CLOSER comes to TNT from The Shephard/Robin Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. James Duff (The D.A., The Agency), Greer Shephard (Nip/Tuck, The D.A.) and Michael Robin (Nip/Tuck, The D.A., NYPD Blue) serve as executive producers.

WANTED � Sundays at 10 p.m., beginning July 31

In this gripping crime drama starring Gary Cole (The West Wing, Office Space), an elite team of crime fighters from various federal and local law enforcement agencies form a covert, undercover strike force to help track down Los Angeles� 100 most-wanted fugitives. Joining Cole is an ensemble cast that includes Rashida Jones (Boston Public, Little Black Book), Ryan Hurst (Taken, Remember the Titans), Benjam�n Ben�tez (Tru Calling), Lee Tergesen (Oz) and singer Josey Scott in his acting debut. WANTED comes to TNT from Spelling Television and Jorge Zamacona (Homicide: Life on the Street, 10-8). It is being executive-produced by Aaron Spelling (Charmed, Seventh Heaven, Beverly Hills 90210), E. Duke Vincent (Charmed, Seventh Heaven, Beverly Hills 90210) and Zamacona.

NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES: FROM THE STORIES OF STEPHEN KING limited series being executive-produced by Bill Haber (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) of Ostar Enterprises}

Bill Haber and his Ostar Enterprises are developing this limited series based on the book of short stories by Stephen King. The deal calls for Ostar to develop scripts for eight one-hour episodes. Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers) and Mike Robe (News at Eleven, Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North), Peter Filardi (TNT�s Salem�s Lot, Flatliners), Larry Cohen (Phone Booth, Cellular), April Smith (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter) and Richard Christian Matheson (Mobius, Dean Koontz�s Sole Survivor) have signed to pen scripts for the series. NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is based on Stephen King�s 1993 anthology of 20 short stories, whose subjects include murderous revenge, dead rock stars, zombies, an evil toy and a wicked stepfather, to name a few.

CONFESSIONS recurring series being developed by executive producer Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, EZ Streets) for Sony Pictures Television

This dramatic series, being developed by Paul Haggis, follows what happens when a professional hit man suddenly develops a conscience and starts seeing the faces of his many victims all around. Before he can leave his dark world behind, however, he will have to elude or eliminate those who would prefer he remain silent.

THE DARK completed pilot from executive producer Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, Hunter, The A-Team) and Warner Bros. Television

TNT has shot a pilot for this recurring series from Emmy-winning producer Stephen J. Cannell. Walter Hill (Deadwood) directed the one-hour pilot, which stars Billy Burke (24), Michelle Hurd (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Erik Jensen (The Exonerated), Colleen Porch (Frozen Impact), Fred Ward (The Right Stuff) and Andre Ware (Cradle 2 the Grave). Based on an actual FBI team, THE DARK follows a group of men and women called upon to investigate the most disturbing and baffling serial criminals. Working from the basement of Quantico, the team is responsible for getting into the heads of serial rapists, arsonists and murderers, then tracking them down.

GRACE recurring series being developed by executive producer Nancy Miller (CSI: Miami, Threat Matrix, Any Day Now) and Spelling Television

A female cop and 20-year veteran crashes her vehicle into another car on her way home from a particularly grueling day, fatally wounding the driver of the other car. After screaming to Heaven not to let the man die, an angel comes to her and erases the event, on the one condition that she change her life and her embittered attitude towards others. She agrees, and this unique series follows her long and bumpy road to redemption, with the angel sticking around to keep her on track.

THE MIDNIGHT CLUB recurring series being developed by executive producer James Patterson (Along Came a Spider) and Lion�s Gate Television

From bestselling author and executive producer James Patterson comes this series about John Stefanovich, a tough New York cop trying to track down Alexandre St. Germain, the most treacherous and powerful member of The Midnight Club, a secret international society of crime lords. Blasted by Germain�s shotgun, Stefanovich is left in a wheelchair, but his resolve remains strong. With the help of a beautiful journalist and a Harlem cop, he is determined to break the secretive crime organization�s powerful grip.

SANCTUARY recurring series being developed by executive producer Deborah Joy LeVine (Lois & Clark, The Division, Dawson�s Creek) and Dan Levine (The Division, The Sentinel)

This gripping look inside the world of a mental hospital, being developed by Deborah Joy LeVine and Dan Levine, follows a young doctor who bucks established protocol of automatically medicating patients in favor of a more humane approach. Set in the intake wing of the hospital, the series is told from the points of view of the doctors and patients, giving viewers a rare and provocative glimpse inside the many mysteries of the human mind.

SMOKE & MIRRORS recurring series being developed by writer-producer Lindsay Sturman (Joan of Arcadia) and executive producers Greer Shephard (TNT�s The Closer, Nip/Tuck, The D.A.) and Michael Robin (TNT�s The Closer, Nip/Tuck, The D.A., NYPD Blue) of the Shephard/Robin Company for Warner Bros. Television

This series is about the men and women in the cutthroat world of advertising, whose entire existence revolves around creatively spinning the truth in order to sell a product. Their ultimate challenge, however, begins when they go home to their real lives, where spinning the truth doesn�t always work with their loved ones.

TALK TO ME recurring series being developed by executive producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT�s The Librarian: Quest for the Spear) and Lion�s Gate Television

Dean Devlin is developing this thrilling drama about hostage negotiators, who have to cunningly defuse the hairiest of situations. At a moment�s notice, the negotiators are on the scene, trying to learn what they can about the perpetrator, all the while thinking on their feet and playing departmental politics with those who think a bullet is the only solution to the problem. It�s life and death, and their only weapons are their fast talk and even faster minds.

Turner Network Television (TNT), television�s destination for drama and one of cable�s top-rated networks, offers original movies, such as the Johnson & Johnson Spotlight PresentationSM 14 Hours; original limited series, including Into the West, an epic six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg; original recurring series, including the detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, and the crime thriller Wanted, with Gary Cole; powerful one-hour dramas, such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER, NYPD Blue, Charmed, Judging Amy and Angel; broadcast premiere movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is also available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.