LIONSGATE TO MAKE LAST STAND

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, today announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be making his return to film in THE LAST STAND, which the company is developing as a starring vehicle for the former California Governor.  The announcement was made by the President of Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group Joe Drake, and President of Production Michael Paseornek.

Korean action-suspense master Kim Jee-Woon (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD) will direct the film, which is to be based on a spec script by Andrew Knauer that was subsequently rewritten by Jeffrey Nachmanoff.  Lionsgate has domestic and international distribution rights, with the film having pre-sold well in several overseas territories already.  Lorenzo di Bonaventura will be producing the film through di Bonaventura Pictures. 

Schwarzenegger will be starring as Sheriff Owens, a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled.   After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members.  He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever.  At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for one of the most daring face offs in cinema history. 

"Arnold Schwarzenegger will bring incredible magnetism to this complex but classic role," explained Drake of the perfect fit between the material and the star.  "When he came on the screen in THE EXPENDABLES, it always electrified the audience.  In this film, the Sheriff Owens character grapples with some really tough stuff, but ultimately triumphs, and we knew he'd truly elevate this high octane ride." 

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Motion Picture Group Senior Exec VP Rob McEntegart. 

Schwarzenegger is represented by CAA, who negotiated the deal on his behalf along with attorneys Jake Bloom and Patrick Knapp of Bloom Hergott et al., LLP.  Jee-Woon is also represented by CAA.

About Lionsgate

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 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 the popular comedy "Blue Mountain State" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spin-off "Meet The Browns," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?".

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, THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, SAW 3D, THE LAST EXORCISM, KICK ASS and PRECIOUS. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 8% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. 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:  Kate Hubin Tiliero, 310-255-4064, [email protected]

SOURCE Lionsgate