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Heroes Never Die ... They Just Re-Load on Spike TV
Spike TV To Broadcast Basic Cable Television Premiere of "Rambo"
Network Acquires Rights to Five-Film Action Package from Lionsgate,
Including First Three Films In The "Rambo" Saga
NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 22 -- One of the
silver screen's most legendary action heroes, "Rambo," has found his
perfect television home, Spike TV. Academy Award(R) nominee Sylvester
Stallone ("Rocky") brings one of male action fans' all-time cinematic
heroes, John Rambo, to Spike with all four Rambo films, including the basic
cable television broadcast premiere of the latest installment, "Rambo."
Rambo headlines a total package of five action films sold to Spike by
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio.
Rambo was produced and distributed by Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company.
"John Rambo might very well be the envy of every Spike guy," remarked
John Griffin, vice president, programming, Spike TV. "He's not just the
toughest guy on the planet, but he uses his incredible military acumen in
the name of justice."
"Rambo headlines a package of five action films that we are thrilled to
deliver to Spike TV," said Lionsgate Executive Vice President Television
Sales Rand Stoll. "Spike TV offers the perfect audience for Rambo, and the
delivery of this package reflects our continued momentum in monetizing our
slate of current theatrical releases and filmed entertainment library
product through strong television sales."
Spike TV will have exclusive ad-supported cable television rights in
staggered windows to "Rambo" for four years beginning in June, 2010.
"Rambo" is a presentation of Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company in
association with Millennium Films. "Rambo" is produced by Avi Lerner, Kevin
King Templeton and John Thompson. It is based on the character created by
David Morrell and is written by Art Monterastelli and Sylvester Stallone.
The 2008 box office hit features Rambo on a mission to save a group of
Christian aid workers who have been kidnapped by Burmese soldiers. The
action-packed film holds the record with the most kills out of the entire
"Rambo" series, with 236 kills and an average of 2.59 kills per minute.
Spike has also acquired rights to the first three "Rambo" movies,
beginning with "Rambo: First Blood," premiering this Memorial Day Weekend.
"Rambo: First Blood" launches on Spike Saturday, May 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT
featuring decorated Vietnam veteran John Rambo, who is abused by a small
town's police force and proceeds to launch a one man war with it. "Rambo:
First Blood Part II" will begin its run on Spike in January 2010, and
follows Rambo on his journey back to Vietnam to free American POWs. In
March 2011, Rambo III will launch on Spike as Rambo's Vietnam commanding
officer Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) is held hostage in Afghanistan,
and it's up to Rambo to rescue him.
Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is http://www.spike.com.
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio and a
premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television
programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and
digitally delivered content. Its prestigious and prolific library of
approximately 12,000 motion pictures and television episodes is a valuable
source of 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 globe.
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