DISCOVERY CHANNEL IN DEVELOPMENT WITH LIONSGATE ON MINI-SERIES "NORTH AND SOUTH"

--Lionsgate to Produce New Original Mini-Series Chronicling Antebellum America and the U.S. Civil War -

Discovery Channel announces today its order to development of the network's next scripted mini-series, NORTH AND SOUTH, based on the trilogy of North and South novels by John Jakes, the bestselling author who mingles the lives of historical personages and strong characters, and involves them in the great events of the U.S. and world.

NORTH AND SOUTH will tell the epic story of two families - the Hazard family, northern factory owners from Pennsylvania, and the Main family, southern plantation owners. The story begins when lead characters George Hazard and Orry Main meet as young men at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The Hazard and the Main families become close, brought together in bonds of friendship and affection that neither jealousy nor violence can shatter.

At a time when great technological advancements were made and social and political groups worked for anti-slavery legislation as well as women's equality, the economic foundation of the country began to rapidly change. Spanning three generations and chronicling the lives and loves of two great family dynasties, NORTH AND SOUTH shows the vastly different ways of life for the Main and Hazard families which threaten to drive them apart, fracture marriages and poison sibling relationships. They are put to the ultimate test as fathers, sons, brothers and friends fight each other on the battlefields of the deadliest war America has ever seen.

NORTH AND SOUTH is a co-production between Discovery and Lionsgate. John Jakes is represented by Joel Gotler of IPG and Frank Curtis of Rembar & Curtis. Jakes will also serve as an executive producer on the project.