IN THE DEPRESSION ERA SIERRA MADRE BADLANDS, A MAN'S SEARCH FOR ADVENTURE LEADS HIM TO DRAMA, PERIL AND ROMANCE

BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN AND OSCAR(R) NOMINEE GRAHAM GREENE STAR IN 'THE WILD GIRL' A HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL HD ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERING APRIL 24

Kathleen Munroe Co-Stars in Movie Based on the Novel by Jim Fergus; Film is First of Many Originals to Be Produced for Hallmark Movie Channel in HD

An unlikely team embarks on a rescue mission in the Sierra Madre Badlands, but are put into danger when they stumble upon an orphaned Apache girl abandoned in the wilderness in "The Wild Girl," a Hallmark Movie Channel HD Original Movie, premiering Saturday, April 24 (9 p.m. ET/PT, 8 p.m. CT). Brian Austin Green ("Beverly Hills, 90210") and Oscar(R)-nominated actor Graham Greene ("Dances With Wolves") star in the riveting adventure story based on the 2005 novel, The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932, written by Jim Fergus. The film is the first Original Movie to be produced for the successful sister network of Hallmark Channel.

In Chicago in 1932, young photographer Ned Giles is struggling to get published in the Chicago Tribune. One day, Ned sees a flyer advertising the "Great Apache Expedition," a mission that will combine the wealthy men of America with a Mexican army to rescue Gerald Huerta, the kidnapped son of a rich Mexican landowner and return him to his father. Partnering with affected prep Tolley Phillips (Matthew Edison, "Murder on Her Mind"), who wants to prove to his father he is more than just a spoiled rich boy, Ned travels to Mexico, camera in hand. Joining them are Margaret Hawkins (Kathleen Munroe, "Accidental Friendship"), a beautiful anthropology student with a big heart, and Mr. Browning (Andrew Gillies, "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy"), a refined English gentleman who serves as Tolley's valet.

The team enlists native Apache scouts Joseph (Greene) and his grandson Albert (Gregory Odjig, "Elijah"), to guide them to the kidnapped boy, but when Albert makes it clear he has a deep resentment against white people, it seems impossible the group will ever be able to work together.

They run into more trouble when Ned encounters a wild Apache girl, Chideh (Lola Tash), who belongs to the same dangerous tribe of Indians that kidnapped the boy they are searching for. They decide to take Chideh with them on the expedition and use her as a bargaining chip to get the boy back, but aren't prepared for the risks that lay ahead. When the Apache tribe ambushes the group and takes them hostage, the troop must work together to escape, or face the terrifying price of being would-be heroes.

"The Wild Girl" is a Muse Entertainment production. Michael Prupas, Irene Litinsky, Jesse Prupas, Joel Rice, William Stuart and David Helpern are the executive producers. Steve Solomos is the producer. Don McBrearty directed from a script by Ron Parker, which was based on the novel The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932, by Jim Fergus.

Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, Inc., simulcast in high-definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) is a 24-hour cable network dedicated to bringing viewers the greatest family movies of all time with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events. In today's crowded television landscape, the network is a unique and captivating entertainment experience, providing programming families can watch together. It is now available in 31 million homes. Crown Media also operates Hallmark Channel which provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of nearly 90 million subscribers.