AMC Announces Red Mars as New Series in Development

Written by Jonathan Hensleigh, Sci-Fi Series Chronicles Life on Red Planet

New York, New York - October 3, 2008 - AMC announced today Red Mars as a new series in development. Written and executive produced by Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon and Con Air), Red Mars chronicles the inhabitants of the first human colony on Mars and is based on the classic sci-fi novel of the same name by Kim Stanley Robinson. Red Mars is executive produced by Michael Jaffe & Howard Braunstein from JAFFE BRAUNSTEIN ENTERTAINMENT (Memory Keeper's Daughter, 10.5) and Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza, and Eli Kirschner from Created By (Jumper).

"AMC has quickly defined a unique programming blueprint coupling cinematic originals with enduring iconic movies," said Christina Wayne SVP of original series and mini-series for AMC. "As we continue to expand our development slate with the best creative talent, we also look to reach out and expand into new genres. In the past, our original series and mini-series have run the gamut from a period piece to the anti-hero to a western all with the look and feel of a one-hour movie event. With Red Mars the network is returning to sci-fi, a genre that resonates well with our audience."

"Jonathan Hensleigh is one of the most prolific screenwriters in the business and represents AMC's continued commitment to partner with the top talent working in film and television today," said Jeremy Elice, Vice President of original programming series. "As a DIE-HARD fan of this genre, Jonathan is uniquely suited to create a series that fits into AMC's line-up of distinct and original cinematic programming that can stand side by side with our unprecedented library of films."

Today's news comes on the heels of AMC recently announcing Ice and Carter Beats the Devil as two new series in development. Ice is written by Christian Darren (Hustle: The Pete Rose Story), directed by Vadim Perlman (House of Sand and Fog, Life Before Her Eyes), and executive produced by Perlman and Ilan Breil/Mosaic. The series follows a family in the diamond district of New York City. Evan Pinchuk from New Frontier Films serves as co-executive producer. Carter Beats the Devil was written and executive produced by Wesley Strick (The Saint, Mission: Impossible 2) and executive produced by John Baldecchi & Rich Silverman (Ultraviolet, The Mexican). This series is based on Glen David Gold's book, under the same moniker Carter Beats the Devil, which follows the magician Charles Carter and his role in President Warren Harding's suspicious death. Gold served as a consultant for this project.

About AMC

AMC is a multi-platform network that celebrates classic movies and high-quality scripted series. Among the elite services available in nearly 93 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC defines what it means to be a classic movie network today, creating a distinctive viewing experience that celebrates all that is enduringly cool, personal and powerfully relevant about movies. AMC's comprehensive library of popular movies strike a meaningful chord with its audience, and its critically-acclaimed slate of originals all have a cinematic quality that allow them to complement and be complemented by some of the best movies of all time. AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, WE tv and Sundance Channel. AMC is THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC.