or


[09/12/06 - 12:00 AM]
Emmy(R) Award Winner John Leguizamo to Star in Spike TV's Gripping New Original Scripted Eight-Hour Drama Event, 'The Kill Pit'

[via press release from Spike TV]

Emmy(R) Award Winner John Leguizamo to Star in Spike TV's Gripping New Original Scripted Eight-Hour Drama Event, 'The Kill Pit'

Lionsgate and Mandeville to Produce Event for Summer 2007 Premiere

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 -- Spike TV has announced a fast-paced, thrilling new original scripted eight-hour drama event, "The Kill Pit," starring Emmy(R) Award-winning actor John Leguizamo. Produced by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, in association with Mandeville, the drama follows a bank heist that goes terribly awry and the hostage negotiations that ensue. "The Kill Pit" goes into production during the first quarter of next year for a summer 2007 premiere.

Written by James DeMonaco ("The Negotiator," "Assault on Precinct 13") and executive produced by David Hoberman ("Monk") and Todd Lieberman ("Eight Below," "Bringing Down the House") of Mandeville and DeMonaco, "The Kill Pit" revolves around a midtown bank robbery by a team of American Iraqi-War veterans led by Leguizamo. More than a dozen hostages from all walks of life are taken, ranging from the daughter of a business tycoon to an adulterous couple.

"It's a great cat and mouse game with lots of action and suspense and will surely resonate with our guy audience," said Pancho Mansfield, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Spike TV. "John Leguizamo is the ideal actor to bring edginess and intensity to the lead role."

"We were immediately drawn to this project by the caliber of the writing and the creative team involved," said Kevin Beggs, President of Programming and Production, Lionsgate. "We're excited to be working with David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, James DeMonaco and John Leguizamo and forging a new relationship with Spike TV on our first production for the network."

Throughout the eight-hour event, viewers will follow the escalating action as the volatile soldiers plot their way out, the negotiator anticipates their moves and the hostages desperately try to survive. Time is critical and the game intensifies with surprising twists at every turn.

An acclaimed stage and screen star, John Leguizamo received an Emmy(R) Award for the Spike Lee-directed presentation of his Tony-nominated Broadway solo show, "Freak," for HBO. His numerous other accolades include a Golden Globe nomination for his comic turn in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar," and a SAG Award nomination for his work in Baz Luhrmann's Academy Award-nominated "Moulin Rouge." Leguizamo's other credits include "Carlito's Way" for director Brian De Palma, Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo & Juliet," "Empire," Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam," "Undefeated," which he also directed, and the animated hit "Ice Age" and its sequel. The actor was recently seen in a recurring role on the hit series "ER."

Bill McGoldrick is Spike TV's Executive in Charge of Production.

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning this year's Best Picture Academy Award(R) for Crash, generating two consecutive years of $300 million-plus domestic theatrical box office, operating a $500 million-plus home entertainment business and producing a broad slate of prime time television series for fiscal 2007. It is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 7,800 titles is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

Spike TV is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com/





  [september 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· ER (NBC)
· KILL POINT, THE (SPIKE TV)
· MONK (USA)
· UNDEFEATED (HBO)





[07/08/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 30: "Squid Game" Season 3 Leads Top 10 Globally, Climbs to No. 3 on Most Popular
Plus: "The Waterfront" maintained its Top 10 empire as the No. 1 English show in its third week with 5.6 million views.

[07/08/25 - 11:47 AM]
Lifetime Greenlights Latest "Ripped from the Headlines" Thriller "Girl in the Cellar" Starring Kyla Pratt and Kelcey Mawema Premiering August 23
Inspired by real stories, the film follows a single mother who resorts to extreme measures to control her teenage daughter.

[07/08/25 - 11:45 AM]
CBS Studios Returns to Comic-Con International with Fan Favorite "Star Trek" Universe, "Ghosts" and New Series "NCIS: Tony & Ziva"
Attendees will not want to miss panel presentations from beloved series and franchises.

[07/08/25 - 11:16 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - "Zarna Garg: Practical People Win"
Zarna Garg is bringing the heat (and the guilt trips) in her laugh-out-loud Hulu debut, taking aim at husbands, kids, in-laws, and anyone who dares question an Indian mom's wisdom.

[07/08/25 - 11:10 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases First Look Images, Teaser, and Announces Premiere Date for "Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy"
From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer's house. And no one was the wiser.

[07/08/25 - 10:31 AM]
Netflix Serves Up a Fresh Slate of Food Series with Exciting New Titles and Fan-Favorite Returns
Fan-favorite "Is It Cake?" is back with a triple helping of themed seasons - "Is It Cake? Halloween," "Is It Cake? Holiday" Season 2, and an "Is It Cake? Valentines" special.

[07/08/25 - 10:30 AM]
"New Girl" Summer on Hulu: Creator Liz Meriwether Picks Essential Summer Episodes
All seven seasons of "New Girl" are available to stream on Hulu.

[07/08/25 - 09:33 AM]
Disney Entertainment Television Announces 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Programming with a Lineup for Every Fan in the Family
Beginning Thursday, July 24, Hulu's King of the Hill backyard cookout, ABC's A Very Abbott Block Party, FX's "Alien: Earth" - "The Wreckage," and The Percy Jackson Experience outdoor activations will be open to the public directly outside the San Diego Convention Center.

[07/08/25 - 09:11 AM]
Nickelodeon Airs Animated Series, "Unicorn Academy" and "Vida the Vet," from Spin Master Entertainment, Beginning July
This marked the series' respective linear debuts in the U.S. - "Unicorn Academy" on Nickelodeon and "Vida the Vet" on the Nick Jr. channel.

[07/08/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer and Key Art for "Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War"
The three-part docuseries, from executive producers Blye Faust and Cori Shepherd, premieres July 23 on Prime Video.

[07/08/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Big Brother": A Summer of Mystery Cast Revealed
This season's cast includes a professional bull rider, event curator, marketing manager, AI consultant, aura painter, attorney and a dungeon master, among others.

[07/08/25 - 08:07 AM]
Apple TV+ Announces Seventh Season for Celebrated Spy Drama "Slow Horses"
Season five is slated for September 24; while season six was announced last year.

[07/08/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Untamed" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman's death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain - where nature obeys no rules but its own.

[07/08/25 - 07:32 AM]
FOX Nation Enters Live Sports Arena with All-New PBR Partnership
In the lead up to the live weekly team events, the platform will roll out season two of the hit series "Last Cowboy Standing" beginning on Friday, July 11.

[07/08/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Grantchester" Begins Production on Its 11th and Final Season
"We're so grateful to all the loyal viewers and can't wait to bring you the final chapter of this story," said PBS.