SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LIONSGATE (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, has optioned the rights to the bestselling CROSSFIRE series of romantic novels by Sylvia Day, it was announced today by Kevin Beggs, President of the Lionsgate Television Group, and Executive Vice President Chris Selak, who will oversee development for the studio.

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The CROSSFIRE franchise of adult novels has become a global phenomenon, selling over 12 million copies since its debut last year and topping bestseller lists in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.  Entwined with You, the third and most recent book in the series, sold over 550,000 copies in its first week alone, becoming a #1 New York Times bestseller.  The second novel, Reflected in You, also debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller and was Penguin UK's fastest selling paperback ever.  The first novel in the series, Bared to You, was named one of Amazon's Top 10 Romances of 2012 and recently returned to the New York Times bestseller list.

"The CROSSFIRE series is an incredible property and it is a thrill to bring it to Lionsgate," said Selak. "Sylvia has created an enduring, sexy and edgy story, and we're looking forward to working with her to create a show that both excites and connects with audiences as her books have done."

"I am thrilled to have Lionsgate as a partner on the CROSSFIRE series," said Day.  "This is a studio that has been incredibly successful with book adaptations and I can't wait to collaborate with them in bringing the story to life."

Lionsgate is home to the highly successful book-to-television series Orange is the New Black which debuted on Netflix to critical acclaim in July and was picked up for a second season before its premiere. The studio also produces the blockbuster movie franchises Hunger Games and Twilight which have collectively grossed more than $4 billion at the box office worldwide.

The project was brought to Lionsgate by producers Jeremy Bolt of Impact Pictures (Resident Evil, Pompeii) and Stephanie Johnson of Clover Entertainment, Inc.

SYNOPSIS
The CROSSFIRE series centers on Eva Tramell, a young up-and comer in the advertising world, and billionaire businessman, Gideon Cross who are both trying to overcome their devastating and abusive pasts.  As they are intensely drawn to one another, both physically and emotionally, the two must find a way to heal each other in order to move on and establish a healthy romantic relationship. Populated with a diverse cast of secondary characters and a vibrant Manhattan setting, CROSSFIRE is both a contemporary and timeless tale of love and the fight for redemption.

ABOUT SYLVIA DAY
Sylvia Day is the #1 New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of more than a dozen award-winning novels sold in 40 countries. Day is a #1 bestseller in 20 countries.  She is presently serving as President of Romance Writers of America, an association of 10,0000 writers.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate 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, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has 28 television shows on 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication successes Tyler Perry's House of Payne, its spinoff Meet the Browns, For Better Or Worse, The Wendy Williams Show, Are We There Yet? and Orange Is The New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Now You See Me, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Tyler Perry's Temptation, Warm Bodies, Snitch, Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Expendables 2, The Possession, Sinister, The Cabin in the Woods and Arbitrage. Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 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 and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

www.lionsgate.com

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LIONSGATE  
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Leah Krantzler                           
The Lippin Group for LIONSGATE 
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For corporate inquiries, please contact:
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SOURCE Lionsgate