ACADEMY AWARD(R) NOMINEE DEMIÁN BICHIR SIGNS ON FOR FX DRAMA PILOT "THE BRIDGE"

Production Begins in November with Gerardo Naranjo Set to Direct

LOS ANGELES - October 8, 2012 - Academy Award(R) nominee Demián Bichir has reached an agreement to play the male lead in the FX drama series pilot, The Bridge, which begins production next month.

Based on an international hit series, the pilot for The Bridge was adapted for American television by Meredith Stiehm (Homeland) and Elwood Reid (Hawaii Five-0). Adapted from the Scandinavian series i Bron, The Bridge centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the American-Mexican border. The Bridge is executive produced by Stiehm and Reid, alongside Carolyn Bernstein, Lars Blomgren and Jane Featherstone. The Bridge is a co-production of Shine America and FX Productions. Gerardo Naranjo will direct the pilot episode.

"We're huge fans of Demián Bichir's work and are thrilled he is taking on the lead role in The Bridge," said John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. "He instantly raises the level of authenticity to the story and this is a true casting coup. To have the biggest movie star in Mexico choose his return to television for this project speaks volumes about the quality of the writing by Meredith Stiehm and Elwood Reid."

Stiehm and Reid added, "Getting an actor of Demián's stature for The Bridge is truly a dream come true. Demián's on-screen intensity and deep understanding of Mexico are huge assets to the show. We literally wrote the pilot with him in mind."

In The Bridge, Bichir will play "Marco Ruiz," a homicide investigator for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. A family man, Marco is one of the last good men in a corrupt and apathetic police force that is outgunned by the powerful drug cartels. He's sharp, charming, and observant and painfully aware that his city is in a state of chaos. When a body is dumped on the bridge that spans the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border, Ruiz is forced to work with his American counterpart, "Detective Sonya North," (Diane Kruger) to try to solve the crime.

Bichir is a Mexican-born actor best known for his work in the award-winning film, A Better Life, for which he received an Academy Award nomination in 2012. He completed production on his starring roles in the feature films Machete Kills for Robert Rodriguez and The Heat for Paul Fieg, and he recently signed on to star in Richard Shepard's feature Dom Hemingway opposite Jude Law. Bichir's other work includes roles in the hit Showtime series, Weeds, Oliver Stone's 2012 film Savages and his portrayal of Fidel Castro in Che.

Bichir is represented by CAA, Sekka Scher and Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown.

About Shine America

Shine America is a world leader in producing and distributing compelling scripted and unscripted television and digital content and through its global Shine 360o division, building brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original series including The Biggest Loser, Tabatha Takes Over and upcoming series The Face; adaptations of Shine Group formats MasterChef, Minute to Win It, One Born Every Minute and Parental Control; long-running scripted hits The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Tudors; and over 20 ground-breaking original online series on MSN, Yahoo!, YouTube premium channels and other platforms, many of these produced in partnership with global brands such as Walmart, Toyota, Kraft Foods, Subway and Microsoft. Through Shine Group's distribution arm, Shine International, Shine America distributes its extensive library of programming and formats to more than 150 countries. Visit www.shineamerica.com for further information.

About FX Productions

FX Productions produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, the upcoming comedy Legit, and the new late night series BrandX with Russell Brand and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. FXP co-produces the award-winning hit drama series Sons of Anarchy and Justified, and the upcoming drama The Americans. FXP currently has production output deals in place with RCG Productions, the production company of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Executive Producer/Showrunners Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, and Floyd County Productions, the production company of Archer Executive Producer/Showrunners Adam Reed and Matt Thompson. FXP recently announced a cable exclusive, first-look pact with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and their Color Force production company, producers of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid feature franchise and The Hunger Games. It was the first POD deal for FX Productions that was not established through a prior existing relationship with the studio. FXP recently entered into a cable first-look deal with Paul Giamatti, Dan Carey and their production company, Touchy Feely Films.

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story: Asylum; the acclaimed hit comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The network's library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.