CHARLIE SHEEN TO STAR IN NEW SITCOM, 'ANGER MANAGEMENT'

LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen is planning his return to series television in Anger Management, a new sitcom loosely based on Revolution Studios' 2003 hit comedy feature of the same name. Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, headed by Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, will distribute the series that will be produced by Lionsgate Television, led by Television Group President Kevin Beggs and COO Sandra Stern; Joe Roth and Revolution Studios' Vince Totino; Sheen manager Mark Burg's production company, Evolution Management; and Robert Maron.

Sheen will retain a significant ownership stake in the series inspired by the film, in which a mild-mannered, non-confrontational man is ordered to attend group anger management sessions led by a therapist who could probably use some anger management himself.

"I chose Anger Management because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."  

Roth and Sheen have worked together on five features, including Major League, Young Guns and Three Musketeers.

"Who better than Charlie Sheen to tackle Anger Management," Roth said. "With Charlie's incredible talent and comedic gifts, he remains the leading man of TV sitcoms. I'm excited to collaborate with him once again."

Roth is also currently working with Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury and Ice Cube's Cube Vision on the TBS hit Are We There Yet? It is one of three hugely successful sitcoms (along with Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet The Browns) that are the result of a unique sitcom business model created by Marcus and Bernstein.

Marcus and Bernstein said in a joint statement, "Our sitcom model is all about building well-known brands around extraordinary talents like Charlie that, thanks to their large profit participation, are highly motivated to succeed. It's not every day you can roll out a sitcom featuring the star of the biggest TV comedy of the past decade."

"We always look for series ideas that are noisy, accessible and relevant," said Lionsgate's Kevin Beggs.  "Charlie Sheen in Anger Management takes those criteria to a whole new level and we are thrilled to be in business with him, Evolution, Debmar-Mercury and Revolution Studios on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  With a star of Charlie's magnitude, a producer as venerable as Joe Roth and a branded property as compelling as Anger Management, this show has unique upside while still adhering to our disciplined business model."

Said Burg, one of the creative forces behind Lionsgate's SAW franchise, the most popular long-running horror franchise of all time, and a former executive producer of Two and a Half Men, "We have been fielding numerous offers for Charlie since his departure from Two and a Half Men, but none were as creatively and financially compelling as the package that Lionsgate, Debmar-Mercury, and Revolution presented us with Anger Management."

The deal was negotiated on behalf of Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate by Sandra Stern. Sheen was represented by Jake Bloom and Leigh Brecheen of Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, Laviolette & Feldman.  Revolution and Joe Roth were represented by Matt Johnson of Ziffren Brittenham LLP. 

Charlie Sheen, who has starred in more than 40 feature films, catapulted to fame in such critical and commercial hits as Platoon and Wall Street.  His other feature film credits include Major League, Red Dawn, Lucas, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Eight Men Out, Young Guns, Hot Shots!, Hot Shots! Part Deux, The Three Musketeers, The Chase, Money Talks, Being John Malkovich, Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4 and The Big Bounce.  He also appeared in the television movies Rated X and Good Advice.

Sheen became known to television audiences through his Golden Globe Award-winning lead role in Spin City.  In 2003, Sheen was cast as Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, which was loosely based on Sheen's bad boy image. The role garnered him an ALMA Award and three Emmy Awards, as well as two Golden Globe Award nominations for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

In 2011, Sheen set a new Guinness World Record for Twitter as the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers," adding an average of 129,000 new followers per day. On March 10, 2011, Sheen announced a 22-date nationwide tour, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not An Option," which kicked off in Detroit on April 2. The tour sold out in 18 minutes, a Ticketmaster record.

About Debmar-Mercury:

Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show; produces (with ITV STUDIOS AMERICA) and distributes The Jeremy Kyle Show, debuting in September 2011; distributes Tyler Perry's House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; distributes Are We There Yet?, a sitcom from Revolution Studios' Joe Roth and Cube Vision, starring Ice Cube, debuting in national syndication in fall 2012; distributes strips Hell's Kitchen, Family Feud, South Park and True Hollywood Story; and distributes a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next-generation studio.

About Revolution Studios:

Revolution Studios was founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, in partnership with Sony Pictures, Starz Encore Group and Fox Entertainment Group.  Since its inception, Revolution Studios has created a library of 46 films, including "Black Hawk Down," "Maid in Manhattan," "Anger Management," and the "Are We There Yet" franchise, collectively earning more than $3.7 billion at the box office.  Currently, Revolution Studios is engaged in actively managing its library and pursuing licensing opportunities, including sequels, spin-offs, and other productions based on its films.

Prior to forming Revolution Studios, Joe Roth served as chairman of both the Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox.  In addition to being the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders FC, a major league soccer team, Roth produced "Alice in Wonderland" for Disney, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, which  went on to gross over $1 billion.  He is currently producing "OZ: The Great and Powerful" for Disney, directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams; and "Snow White and the Huntsman" for Universal, directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin.

About Lionsgate Television:

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new channel platforms.  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 upcoming "Boss" as well as the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne," its spinoff "Meet The Browns," "The Wendy Williams Show," "Are We There Yet?" and the upcoming "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse." 

Its feature film business has generated more than half a billion dollars at the North American box office in the past year, fueled by such hits as THE EXPENDABLES, LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE LAST EXORCISM, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 8% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 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. 

CONTACT

For Debmar-Mercury:
Jim Benson
[email protected]

For Lionsgate Television:
Leah Krantzler
[email protected]

The Lippin Group
323.965.1990

For Charlie Sheen:
Larry Solters
[email protected]

For Lionsgate corporate inquiries:
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
[email protected]

SOURCE Lionsgate