"THIS VOYAGE IS WHAT GOD INTENDS FOR US"

National Geographic Channel Presents "Saints & Strangers," a Four-Hour Television Movie Event That Reveals the Epic Untold Story Behind the First Thanksgiving

Produced by Sony Pictures Television With Little Engine Productions, the Two-Night Movie Event Saints & Strangers Premieres Nov. 22-23 at 9/8c

(WASHINGTON, DC - NOV. 2, 2015) In November 1620, after 66 days at sea, the Mayflower arrived in New England's Provincetown Harbor with 102 men, women and children aboard. The brutal journey across the ocean on a vessel never intended to carry passengers had left many sick, hungry and dying. And though the sight of land brought great relief to the travelers, little did they know their journey had only just begun.

National Geographic Channel's two-night movie event Saints &Strangers, premiering Nov. 22-23 at 9/8c, goes deep inside the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving, revealing the trials and tribulations of the first settlers at Plymouth and their complex relationship with the Native Americans.

Saints & Strangers is produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions. For more information on the movie, visit www.natgeotv.com/SaintsAndStrangers or our press site www.foxflash.com, or follow us on Twitter using @NGC_PR or #SaintsAndStrangers.

Of those who made the journey on the Mayflower, there were those we know as "saints," religious separatists who abandoned their prior lives for a single cause - religious freedom. The others, the "strangers," were motivated by real-world material objectives and adventure as opposed to spiritual ideas. This clash of values between these groups created complex inner struggles as they sought to establish new individual identities and a new colony in America, compounded by a complicated relationship with, and between, the local Native American tribes. It's a story of survival, perseverance, dedication and commitment - themes that reverberate throughout American society today.

"Growing up, we learn about the Mayflower and the colonization of America, but we never learn the whole story. The real story is an incredible survival story. Saints & Strangers is the opportunity to tell the world about our country," said Executive Producer Gina Matthews. "The Native Americans are determined to maintain their way of life just as much as the Pilgrims are determined to start theirs anew. This is one of those stories where once both groups start down a path, history is changed forever," added Executive Producer Grant Scharbo.

The cast tasked with telling this story for the ages includes Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men") as "saints" leader William Bradford, the colony's moral compass; Anna Camp ("Pitch Perfect") as his wife Dorothy Bradford, still haunted by their decision to leave their three-year-old son behind for the journey to the New World; Ron Livingston ("Band of Brothers") as John Carver, the initial leader of the Pilgrims and the first governor of the Plymouth Colony; Barry Sloane as Edward Winslow, who would serve as a diplomat to the nearby Pokanoket tribe and their leader, Massasoit; and Michael Jibson as Myles Standish, the colony's military advisor.

The "strangers" are led by Ray Stevenson ("Black Sails") as Stephen Hopkins, who, despite his checkered past, is the only Mayflower passenger who had previously been to the New World; Natascha McElhone ("Californication") as his wife, Elizabeth Hopkins, who gives birth to their second child aboard the Mayflower and is one of only four women to survive to the first Thanksgiving; and Br�an F. O'Byrne ("Aquarius") as John Billington, an antagonistic patriarch of a family known for troublemaking.

The Pilgrims were far from the first settlers in the area, and conflicts and shifting alliances between the region's Native American tribes - both with the settlers and among each other - played a vital role in the survival of the colony. Raoul Trujillo ("Apocalypto") plays Massasoit, the sachem - or leader - of the Pokanoket tribe, whose population has been decimated by disease, leaving him uncertain of how to deal with the arrival of the new settlers. Joining him are Tatanka Means ("Banshee") as Hobbamock, one of Massasoit's men and a "pniese" - an elite warrior thought to be unkillable in battle - and Kalani Queypo ("The New World") as Squanto, a former captive and slave of English explorers, who has crossed the Atlantic four times and acts as a translator and negotiator between Massasoit and the governors of the Plymouth Colony. Also playing key roles are Bianca Mannie and Nahum Hughes as Kaya and Wematin, the wife and son of Hobbamock; Michael Greyeyes ("Klondike") as Canonicus of the Narragansett; Del Zamora ("Longmire") as Aspinet of the Nauset; and Tamer Burjaq ("Homeland") as Wituwamat of the Massachusett.

The movie also features main title theme music scored by Oscar-, Golden Globe-, and Grammy award-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Bleeding Fingers Music - a partnership between Zimmer and Extreme Music - scored the film.

Unfolding over two nights, Saints & Strangers begins at sea, with passengers sick and weary from a seemingly endless voyage. The first night explores hardships faced by the passengers aboard the Mayflower and as they begin to build their settlement at Plymouth. With half of their population dead after the first winter, the settlers are concerned about their vulnerability to attacks by the area Native American tribes, who themselves are divided on how to deal with the English. One leader, Massasoit of the Pokanoket tribe, chooses diplomacy first, putting him at odds with some of his peers. With the aid of an English-speaking emissary, the Pokanoket make peace with the Pilgrims, putting them in a position of great power among the other tribes. "I do not long for home. I am home," says William Bradford in the movie, perfectly reflecting the will of these first settlers to survive despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

On the second night, alliances are put to the test when a betrayal by the settlers leads to a broken agreement with the Pokanoket. Finding themselves again exposed, a new threat emerges for the Pilgrims as rumors spread that the natives are planning to attack the English. But after the Pilgrims help nurse an ailing Massasoit back to health, he warns them of the danger. The Pilgrims preemptively strike first and are victorious, and the Plymouth Colony's renewed alliance with the Pokanoket would go on to last for more than 50 years.

A true story of survival, sacrifice, alliances and betrayals, Saints & Strangers shines a light on the desperate and often reckless decisions that went into the founding of one of the first American settlements and the reverberations of those decisions, which would last for centuries to come.

Saints & Strangers is produced for National Geographic Channels US by Sony Pictures Television. For Little Engine Productions, Grant Scharbo and Gina Matthews are executive producers. Teri Weinberg is also executive producer, Eric Overmyer is executive producer/writer and Seth Fisher is executive producer/writer. The original script was written by Chip Johannessen, with revisions by Walon Green. Paul Edwards is the director and Hans Zimmer is the executive music producer. For Sony Pictures Television, executive vice president of movies and limited series is Helen Verno. For National Geographic Channels, president of original programming and production is Tim Pastore and vice president of production is Matt Renner.

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National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in more than 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 432 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry's leading content providers, producing and distributing programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series, and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. In addition to its U.S. production business, SPT has 19 wholly owned or joint venture production companies in 13 countries and also maintains offices in 31 countries. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio includes 150 channel feeds available in 178 countries, reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages the studio's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns U.S. production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of the cable channel Game Show Network (GSN). SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in the Rural Media Group and DoctorOZ.com.

Little Engine Productions

Little Engine Productions is a Los Angeles-based production company and studio dedicated to the development, financing and production of high-end television and feature films. Headed by the Emmy award-winning husband and wife team of Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo, Little Engine, founded in 2007, has produced over 100 hours of network television, most recently the USA drama "Rush," written and directed by filmmaker Jonathan Levine, and the ABC thriller "Missing," starring Ashley Judd (for which she received an Emmy nomination). They have also produced a number of hit films, including "What Women Want," starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, and "13 Going on 30," starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. Matthews and Scharbo are known for their hands-on approach to the creative process, as well as their high-end talent and film and network contacts. In addition to continued work within the studio system, Little Engine recently secured financing from Toronto-based Aver Media and The Bank of Montreal, allowing them to function as a studio in the straight-to-series television model. They will distribute their content through Sony Distribution. Also, as EU passport holders, Matthews and Scharbo are uniquely positioned to take full advantage of the lucrative international tax credits, subsidies and treaties available, as well as higher EU content license fees. As a result, they can produce high-end content at a lower deficit, and put their creative partners closer to back-end participation. Other notable television projects from Little Engine include ABC's straight-to-series "The Gates," starring Frank Grillo and Rhona Mitra; the WB series "The Mountain," with Oliver Hudson; the sci-fi drama "Jake 2.0" for UPN; the WB hit series "Popular," starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope; and "The Chronicle" for the SyFy Network. Little Engine currently has a number of high-profile TV projects in the works, including "Shadows," a co-venture with Sony for ABC; "Wasteland," a co-venture with Sony for NBC; and the four-hour movie Saints & Strangers, for National Geographic Channel and Sony.