|
Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-Winning Actress Kim Basinger Makes Her Television Movie Debut in the Lifetime Original Movie 'The Mermaid Chair'
Movie Based on Sue Monk Kidd's Best-Selling Novel to be Directed By
Multiple Emmy(R) Award Winner Steven Schachter ('Door to Door,' 'The Wool
Cap')
LOS ANGELES, May 8 -- Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R)
Award-winning actress Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential," "8 Mile," "The
Door in the Floor") will make her television movie debut in the Lifetime
Original Movie "The Mermaid Chair," based on the #1 New York Times Best
Seller, The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd, it was announced today by
Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Original Movies. "The Mermaid Chair"
is the passionate drama that tells the beautiful and haunting story of a
married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and
self-awakening it ignites. "The Mermaid Chair" will premiere in September
2006 on Lifetime Television.
"We are ecstatic to not only have the opportunity to bring this hugely
popular novel to the small screen, but to also have Kim Basinger star in
this magical film," said Walton. "We feel this talented actress is the
perfect woman to portray the complicated and soulful role of Jessie."
In the movie, Basinger plays Jessie Sullivan, a 42-year-old woman who
finds herself restless in her life and 20-year marriage after her daughter
leaves for college. She is forced to return to her childhood home on Egret
Island when her mother commits an inexplicable act of violence. Jessie's
return home reignites the volatile relationship she has with her mother and
reawakens nagging questions about her father's death years before. Soon,
she meets Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk from the neighboring abby with
whom she shares an immediate and powerful connection. As the relationship
unfolds, Jessie unlocks the roots of her mother's tormented past and the
secrets around her father's death while undergoing a spiritual, artistic
and erotic awakening. Her experiences on the island lead Jessie to discover
her true self and what she really wants from her life.
Basinger has a long and varied list of film credits. She received the
highest degree of public acclaim and professional recognition for her role
in "L.A. Confidential," earning an Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) for
Best Supporting Actress. Additional film credits include "Hard Country,"
the James Bond film, "Never Say Never Again," "The Natural," "9 1/2 Weeks,"
"Batman," "The Marrying Man," "Cool World" and "8 Mile." More recent film
credits include "The Door in the Floor" and "Cellular." She can also be
seen in the new feature film, "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas.
Sue Monk Kidd has written two novels. The Secret Life of Bees,
published in 2002, became a genuine literary phenomenon. It has sold over
4.5 million copies, spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller
List and is currently being adapted into a movie. Kidd's second novel, The
Mermaid Chair, released in the spring of 2005, has already sold over 1.5
million copies and has spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times Best
Seller List. It was awarded the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction.
"The Mermaid Chair" is co-produced by Randwell Distribution and Nomadic
Pictures for Lifetime Television. Randy Robinson ("The Pact," "Lies My
Mother Told Me") is the executive producer. Emmy(R) Award winner Steven
Schachter ("Door to Door," "The Wool Cap") will direct. Schachter won two
Emmy(R) Awards in 2003 for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or
a Dramatic Special and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a
Dramatic Special for "Door to Door." He received an Emmy(R) nomination for
Outstanding Made for Television Movie in 2005 for "The Wool Cap." The
teleplay is by Suzette Couture ("Million Dollar Babies," "The Book of
Ruth").
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real
Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of Lifetime
Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and
The Walt Disney Company.
SOURCE Lifetime
Web Site: http://www.lifetimetv.com
|
