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Donnie Wahlberg Signed to Co-Star in Spike TV's Gripping New Original Scripted Eight-Hour Dramatic Event, 'The Kill Pit'
Steve Shill ("The Sopranos," "The Wire") To Direct Four Episodes
Lionsgate and Mandeville to Produce Event for Summer 2007 Premiere
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 11 -- Donnie Wahlberg has been
signed to star opposite John Leguizamo in Spike TV's new fast-paced,
thrilling original scripted eight-hour dramatic event "The Kill Pit."
Additionally, acclaimed director Steve Shill ("The Sopranos," "The Wire,"
"Rome" and the upcoming series "The Tudors") has joined the production to
direct the first four hours. Written by James DeMonaco ("The Negotiator,"
"Assault on Precinct 13") and executive produced by David Hoberman ("Monk,"
"Bringing Down the House"), Todd Lieberman ("Eight Below," "Bringing Down
the House") and DeMonaco, the series follows a bank heist that goes
terribly awry and the hostage negotiations that ensue. "The Kill Pit" is
produced by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed
entertainment studio, in association with Mandeville.
Donnie Wahlberg has an impressive background that spans the worlds of
music, film and television. He has transformed himself from a teen pop
sensation to a noteworthy dramatic film actor and critically-acclaimed
television star. Wahlberg most recently co-starred with Harvey Keitel in
ABC's special event mini-series "Path to 9/11" and starred in the CW series
"Runaway." Other television credits include the critically-acclaimed NBC
drama series "Boomtown," and the award-winning HBO mini-series "Band of
Brothers," in which he portrayed real-life WWII hero Lt. C. Carwood Lipton.
Wahlberg can next be seen in the original A&E film, "Kings of South Beach."
His motion picture credits include his pivotal role in "The Sixth Sense" as
a psychotic former patient of Bruce Willis. He also co-starred in Mel
Gibson's kidnapping thriller "Ransom," directed by Ron Howard. Wahlberg has
also starred in the films "Southie," "Saw II" and Disney's "Annapolis."
"Donnie is an incredibly versatile actor with a tremendous amount of
soul," says Pancho Mansfield, Executive Vice President of Original
Programming, Spike TV. "He is a great addition to the show and we know that
his character will resonate with our male viewers."
"The Kill Pit" revolves around a downtown bank robbery by a team of
American Iraqi-War veterans. More than a dozen hostages from all walks of
life are taken, ranging from the daughter of a business tycoon to an
adulterous couple. 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.
"The Kill Pit" will be filmed on locations in and around Pittsburgh and
is slated to go into production during the first quarter of this year for a
summer 2007 premiere. 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 10,000 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 91.6 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. MTV Networks is a division of Viacom International Inc.
SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com
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