RHI Entertainment, the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking movies, miniseries and series for television, today announced the schedule for the launch and select program highlights of its content partnership with ION Media Networks. The RHI Movie Weekend premieres Friday, June 29th and includes the brand-new digitally re-mastered edition of the critically acclaimed Lonesome Dove.
Under the terms of an agreement announced last fall, RHI Entertainment will serve as ION's exclusive primetime program supplier for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, 7 PM to 11 PM. RHI's exciting lineup of programming for ION will include the creation of exclusive original programming as well as quality library titles. The first of 12 originals is "Killer Wave," an action-packed thriller in which nature's deadliest ocean phenomenon-massive tidal waves-meet the dark nature of man by way of a terrorist plot.
The premiere of RHI/ION weekend features Broken Vows (Friday, June 29), starring Tommy Lee Jones and Annette O'Toole;Lonesome Dove, a digitally re-mastered edition of the blockbuster miniseries whose all-star cast includes Robert Duvall, Anjelica Huston, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane, Danny Glover and Chris Cooper; and Cleopatra, the lavish miniseries that stars Timothy Dalton and Billy Zane, with Leonor Varela in the title role.
"The RHI Movie Weekend is the perfect showcase for our biggest productions and premieres," said Robert Halmi, Jr., President and CEO of RHI Entertainment. "We are excited to be a part of the ION Television Network."
"Our relationship with RHI is raising the bar for made-for-TV movies, and nothing speaks to that mission more than the decision to air the critically acclaimed "˜Lonesome Dove' on RHI's premier weekend on ION Television," said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. "We're giving our viewers the best miniseries and movies the industry has to offer and we are looking forward to continuing a strong rollout of high quality titles and originals that will be developed exclusively for ION Television."
Select RHI/ION Television Programming Highlights:
Broken Vows - Friday, June 29 (7-9PM)
A parish priest finds himself involved in a murder mystery when he is summoned to give last rites to a stabbing victim.
Lonesome Dove - Saturday, June 30 (9-11PM); Saturday, July 7;Saturday, July 14; Saturday, July 21
One of the most honored programs in television history, Lonesome Dove will be presented for the first time in a brand-new digitally re-mastered edition. Lonesome Dove won seven Emmy® and two Golden Globe Awards.
Cleopatra - Sunday, July 1 (7-11PM)
Filmed at Morocco's Atlas Studio and London's Shepperton Studios, Cleopatra is a spectacular production, featuring a cast of thousands.
The Twilight of the Golds - Friday, July 6 (7-11PM)
The Twilight of the Golds features and all-star cast that includes Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, Brendan Fraser, Gary Marshall, Rosie O'Donnell and Jennifer Beals.
In Cold Blood - Sunday, July 15 (7-11PM)
The third RHI/ION weekend is highlighted by unforgettable performances from Anthony Edwards, Eric Roberts and Sam Neill in Truman Capote'sIn Cold Blood. The critically-hailed program is based on Capote's famous true-crime saga about the murder of a Kansas farm family.
August program highlights include Patrick Stewart in Moby Dick (Sunday, August 12, 7-11PM), and the "prequel" to Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk (August 18, 25 and September 1, 9-11PM), starring David Arquette as Gus McCrae, Jonny Lee Miller as Woodrow Call, and a brilliant supporting cast that includes Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham, Keith Carradine, Brain Dennehy, Edward James Olmos and Harry Dean Stanton.
About RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment, LLC, is the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company's inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received more than 100 Emmy® Awards, and outperformed the competition annually in view ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station and ION Television, reaching over 90 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. ION Television currently features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television, and CBS Television, among others. ION Media has also partnered with RHI Entertainment, which owns over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to provide weekend primetime programming beginning in June 2007. Utilizing its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, a television and multimedia network dedicated to health and wellness for consumers and families. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.tv.