Lionsgate and Herrick Entertainment Capture THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading diversified independent studio, today announced that it has acquired North American distribution rights along with motion picture production and financing company, HERRICK ENTERTAINMENT to THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE following its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.  Starring Dominic Cooper (AN EDUCATION, CAPTAIN AMERICA) and Ludivine Sagnier and directed by Lee Tamahori (ONCE WERE WARRIORS, DIE ANOTHER DAY), THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE is a dynamic and chilling portrayal of Latif Yahia's autobiographical novel.  The film was adapted for the screen by Michael Thomas  (LADYHAWKE, THE HUNGER), and produced by Corsan's Paul Breuls and Catherine Vandeleene, with Corrino Media Group's Michael John Fedun and Stacatto's Emjay Rechsteiner. Harris Tulchin of Tulchin Entertainment and Arjen Terpstra are executive producers.

The announcement was made jointly today by Joe Drake , Lionsgate Chief Operating Officer and Motion Picture Group President, and Jason Constantine, Lionsgate President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions and Norton Herrick, Chairman/CEO of Herrick Entertainment, a leading motion picture and theatrical production and financing company, to jointly acquire the film.  THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE made its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, January 22nd.  

Said Constantine, "Lee Tamahori has directed a brilliant film that falls squarely in the Lionsgate sweet spot. The film is original and edgy, with both style and substance in droves. It takes the audience to an unforgettable world, and it features not one but two star-making performances from Dominic Cooper." Added Drake, "Our theatrical team is uniquely suited to market and distribute this film in a smart, targeted way to a global generation that's hungry for powerful stories."

Said Herrick, "We were captivated by this film at Sundance. Corsan has done a masterful job. THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE is an electrifying film that will have people talking well after seeing the film. Herrick Entertainment is pleased to be able to bring it to audiences with Lionsgate."

Said producer Paul Breuls, CEO of Corsan, a Belgium based feature film production, development, finance and distribution company, "Mr. Tamahori and Mr. Cooper's collaboration has resulted in an innovative and electrifying film, and an unprecedented performance by Mr. Cooper.  We couldn't be prouder to have produced and financed this film and we're ecstatic to have Lionsgate as our partners to bring this riveting film to the North American market."

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Constantine, Eda Kowan, Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and for Herrick Entertainment by Norton Herrick and Mickey Mayerson of Loeb & Loeb LLP.

The deal was negotiated by the Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group and Creative Artists Agency, along with Harris Tulchin, who negotiated the deal on behalf of Paul Breuls.  Corsan is represented by Paradigm and star Dominic Cooper is represented by CAA. Paradigm also arranged financing for the picture.

About THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE 

The year is 1987 and Baghdad is the playground for the rich and infamous- where anything can be bought, for a price. When army lieutenant, Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper), is summoned from the frontline to Saddam's palace, he is faced with an impossible request – to be Iraq's notorious Black Prince Uday Hussein's 'fiday ,'  his body double. With his family's lives as well as his own on the line, his fate is decided.  Latif begins his journey as Uday Hussein, a man as widely hated as he is powerful.  As he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday, he experiences the extravagance of a world filled with fast cars, endless money, easy women, and deeply depraved violence.  Knowing who to trust becomes a matter of life or death, as he battles to escape from his forced existence alongside Sarrab (Ludivine Sangier), Uday's notorious concubine.  In a dynamic and chilling portrayal of Latif Yahia's autobiographical novel, THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE charts one man's struggle in a world of  bloodlust, power and seduction. 

About Lionsgate 

Lionsgate is a leading independent studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, channels, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel assets.   Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with recent series such as "Blue Mountain State" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns", "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?".

Its feature film business has generated such hits in the past 12 months as THE EXPENDABLES, which was #1 at the North American box office for two weeks, THE LAST EXORCISM, TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®.   The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

About Corsan

Corsan is a Belgium based feature film production, development, finance and distribution company.  Its CEO Paul Breuls has Produced and Directing many outstanding feature films. Corsan was founded in 1989, has its in house team of financial advisors and its own international sales division Corsan World Sales. Corsan's headquarters are based in Antwerp.

About Herrick Entertainment

HERRICK ENTERTAINMENT, an affiliate of The Herrick Company, Inc., with income property transactions, "Green" Power Plants and hospitals totaling more than over $4 Billion.  Herrick Entertainment, a motion picture and theatrical production and financing company's current line up includes the films Vanishing on 7th Street, a suspense-horror film starring Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo, which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September; and the 2009 winner of the Women Film Critics Circle Award for best film, My One and Only, a witty, coming of age dramatic-comedy starring Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon.  Herrick Entertainment has also produced several Tony award-winning Broadway shows, including Hair, Promises, Promises, and Exit the King.   As well as produced SpiderMan: Turn Off The Dark: The Musical, 9 to 5, Desire Under the Elms, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and American Buffalo as well as the Las Vegas show, Hairspray at the Luxor Hotel, and the theater adaptation of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy performed in Toronto and London.  Its Chairman/CEO, Mr. Herrick is a longtime supporter of progressive and humanitarian causes. He has served on the Boards of People for the American Way and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Mr. Herrick is also the recipient, along with President Ronald Reagan and Isaac Stern, of the Jerusalem 3000 Award, presented by Prime Minister Shimon Peres and most recently the recipient, along with Michael J. Fox and Billy Cypress, of the President's Medal from the University of Miami presented by its President, Donna Shalala and the Guardian Award from the Hebrew University Jerusalem.

SOURCE Lionsgate