RICHARD DREYFUSS TURNS WIZARD IN SCI FI'S 'TIN MAN' MINI

Six-Hour Miniseries From RHI Entertainment Slated for December Premiere

Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss (Poseidon, Mr. Holland's Opus) has joined the star-studded cast of SCI FI Channel's upcoming six-hour miniseries Tin Man (working title) from RHI Entertainment. He joins Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming in this wildly re-imagined fantasy take on Frank Baum's classic book, The Wizard of Oz. Slated to begin production next month in Vancouver, the mini will premiere on SCI FI this December.

Dreyfuss will take on the role of the Mystic Man, a powerful wizard who holds the key to revealing the destiny of the one woman who can save The Outer Zone (the O.Z.) � a fantastical realm rife with wonder, but oppressed by dark magic. He joins co-stars Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming (previously announced).

A sometimes psychedelic, often twisted and always outrageous take on the book, SCI FI's Tin Man follows DG on the adventure of a lifetime. Plunged headlong into another world, DG (Deschanel) must discover her true identity, battle evil winged-monkey-bats, and attempt to fulfill her destiny. Her perilous journey begins on the fabled Old Road that leads to a wizard known as the Mystic Man (Dreyfuss). Along the way, she is joined by a decidedly strange trio of companions � "Glitch," (Cumming) an odd man missing half his brain; "Raw," a quietly powerful wolverine-like creature longing for inner courage, and "Cain," a heroic former policeman (known in the O.Z. as Tin Men, for their tin badges) seeking vengeance for his scarred heart. Ultimately, DG's destiny leads her to an emotional and terrifying showdown with the scintillatingly wicked sorceress Azkadellia, whose ties to DG are closer than anyone could have imagined. DG's life, as well as the very future of the O.Z., hangs in the balance.

Tin Man will be executive produced by Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. Co-writers Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (Medical Investigation, The Pretender) will also serve as executive producers on the project. Nick Willing (Jason & The Argonauts, Alice in Wonderland) will direct.

A legend of stage and screen, Richard Dreyfuss has relied on intelligence, energy and incredible talent to gain and keep his place among the leading actors of the American cinema. Three of his films, in fact, were recently included in the American Film Institute's list of the greatest 100 films of all time. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor for his portrayal as the teacher in Mr. Holland's Opus. At age 29, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Goodbye Girl. Dreyfuss most recently appeared in director Wolfgang Petersen's film Poseidon, alongside Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas. On television, he has starred in Lansky for HBO, The Education of Max Bickford on CBS, and The Day Reagan Was Shot and Coast to Coast, both for Showtime. Dreyfuss recently finished a term as a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford.

RHI Entertainment, LLC is the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company's inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received 104 Emmy Awards and outperformed the competition annually in viewer ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 86 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.