HISTORY(R) GREENLIGHTS ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES "KNIGHTFALL" FROM A+E STUDIOS, JEREMY RENNER'S THE COMBINE AND MIDNIGHT RADIO

Network Orders 10 Episodes of Series to Launch Late 2016; Renner Expected to Guest Star

PASADENA, CA - January 6, 2016 - HISTORY(R) has picked up Knightfall, an original scripted drama series chronicling the mysterious but true accounts of the Knights Templar, the elite warriors of the Crusades. The network has ordered a 10 episode first season, which will premiere in late 2016 and be produced by A+E Studios in association with Oscar(R) and Golden Globe(R) nominee Jeremy Renner's and Don Handfield's production company The Combine and Midnight Radio, it was announced today by Paul Buccieri, President of A&E and HISTORY. It is expected that Renner will guest star in Knightfall, with additional cast and production details to be announced.

The Knights Templar's heroic exploits in the Crusades that have fascinated for centuries, inspiring popular stories from Knights of the Round Table to the Jedi Knights of Star Wars. Knightfall reveals the great secrets protected by the Templars and tells the story of faith, loyalty and brotherhood that help sustain these warriors on the battlefield, and the dark events that would forever sear the infamous date of Friday the 13th into the world's psyche.

"We are thrilled to partner with Jeremy Renner, The Combine, Midnight Radio and A+E Studios to tell the intriguing story of the Knights Templar, which has been shrouded in mystery until now," said Buccieri. "Premium scripted content continues to be a growing part of the HISTORY portfolio, with an eye towards quality historical fact-based storytelling, and Knightfall is the perfect fit for our brand."

Knightfall was created and will be executive produced by Don Handfield (Touchback, The Founder, Kill the Messenger) and Richard Rayner (L.A. Without A Map), with Renner (American Hustle, The Hurt Locker) also serving as executive producer from The Combine. Executive producers from Midnight Radio are Jeff Pinkner (Alias, Fringe), Andre Nemec (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), Josh Appelbaum (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and Scott Rosenberg (Beautiful Girls). Jana Bennett, Arturo Interian and Russ McCarroll are the Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY. Knightfall will be distributed internationally by A+E Networks.

Renner is represented by Untitled, CAA and Patti Felker.

About HISTORY(R)

HISTORY(R), now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network's all-original programming slate features a roster of signature series including "Pawn Stars," "American Pickers," "Swamp People," "Alone" as well as the hit drama series "Vikings." The HISTORY website is located at history.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/history and Facebook at facebook.com/history.

ABOUT A+E STUDIOS

A+E Studios is the studio unit of the award-�winning global media company A+E Networks, LLC. A+E Studios creates, produces and distributes high quality scripted programming across all networks and platforms in the A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E(R) Network, Lifetime(R), History(R), LMN(R), FYI(TM), H2(R) and A&E IndieFilms(R). A+E Studios' slate of programming consists of scripted series, event series and movies, including the upcoming event miniseries Roots for HISTORY, A&E and Lifetime, UnREAL for Lifetime and Sons of Liberty(TM) and Houdini for HISTORY.