Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam and Henry Cavill to Join the Cast of New SHOWTIME Dramatic Series 'The Tudors' Which Stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers As a Young King Henry VIII

Production Begins May 22 in Ireland

LOS ANGELES, May 8 -- Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R)-nominated actor Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park," "Little Fish"), Jeremy Northam (CBS' "Martin & Lewis," "The Net," "Gosford Park") and Henry Cavill ("Tristan & Isolde"), have just joined the cast of the new SHOWTIME dramatic series THE TUDORS, which stars Golden Globe(R)-winner Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ("Mission: Impossible III," "Match Point," "Elvis") as a young Henry VIII. Ten episodes have been ordered and Emmy(R)-winning television director Charles McDougall ("Desperate Housewives") will helm at least the first two episodes of the series, which is scheduled to air on the network in early 2007 after filming is completed in Ireland. Neill portrays Cardinal Wolsey, Northam plays Sir Thomas More, and Cavill portrays Charles Brandon.

THE TUDORS will focus on the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40-year omnipotent reign (1509-1547) of England. In addition to dalliances with famous female consorts Catherine of Aragon and the infamous Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry's most notable political relationships, including those with philosopher Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, head of the Catholic Church of England during its break with Rome, and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and Henry VIII's closest friend.

English filmmaker Charles McDougall's incredible work on "Desperate Housewives" and the original British "Queer As Folk" are evidence that this will be a newly imagined Henry VIII with a seductive, modern sensibility.

Michael Hirst ("Elizabeth"), series creator, writer, and executive producer, is writing all 10 episodes of THE TUDORS. Ben Silverman of Reveille, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, Gary Howsam of Peace Arch Entertainment Group and Morgan O'Sullivan of World 2000 will also executive produce. The series will be co-produced by TM Productions and PA Tudors, Inc. with the participation of Bord Scannan na hEireann/Irish Film Board, and the support of investment incentives of the Irish Film Industry provided by the Government of Ireland. It will be co-financed by Showtime Networks and Peace Arch, which will distribute the series outside of the United States.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME(R) TOO(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE(R) and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(TM), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(TM) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM). SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME(R) PPV. Additionally, the advertiser- supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.

SOURCE Showtime Networks Inc.
Web Site: http://www.SHO.com