Lions Gate Films Hustles Kid Delicious Into Development

Lions Gate Films Hustles Kid Delicious Into Development

Premier Independent Studio Set to Develop Film Based on the Life of Danny Basavich (aka Kid Delicious), Nation's Top-Ranked Pool Player

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Lions Gate Films, the motion picture acquisition, production and distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE:LGF) Toronto, has made a development deal for a feature film to be loosely based on the life of Danny Basavich (Kid Delicious), one of the most fascinating sports phenoms of the past decade and currently the number one ranked pool player in the nation, it was announced today by Peter Block, Lions Gate President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Michael Paseornek, President of Production and Development for Lions Gate Films.

The deal includes rights to the renowned Sports Illustrated article "The Amazing Adventures of Kid Delicious and Bristol Bob," written by L. Jon Wertheim, in addition to a life rights and consulting agreement with Kid Delicious and his onetime partner "Bristol" Bob Begey. Paseornek and Block will oversee the project for Lions Gate Films, which will handle worldwide rights on the film. A treatment and a first draft screenplay will be written by Wertheim, who is also writing a book based on Kid Delicious to be published by Houghton Mifflin.

"Lions Gate is the ideal home for a story about my life. They are masters at developing, marketing and distributing provocative, interesting and inspirational films to a wide audience, and I look forward to working closely with them on the project," said Kid Delicious.

"Kid Delicious is a true American success story, and we are thrilled to be developing a film based on his incredible journey from being one of the most creative and successful pool hustlers to being the top ranked professional billiards player in the country," said Block.

"Jon Wertheim has written a terrific piece on Kid Delicious, which will be a great starting point for the film script. We are looking forward to working closely with him and Kid Delicious to bring this fascinating saga to the screen," said Paseornek. "Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction, and we believe that Danny's story will be compelling for moviegoers inside and outside the sports world."

Block, Jason Constatine, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Sam Wollman, Director of Business and Legal Affairs, negotiated on behalf of Lions Gate Films, Kid Delicious manager Tom Dennehy negotiated the subject's life story rights, Ken Richman at Hansen, Jacobsen represented Wertheim, and Rebecca Sanhueza negotiated the option of the Sports Illustrated article on behalf of Wertheim and Time Inc.

Lions Gate is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of approximately 8000 titles is one of the largest in the entertainment industry. The Lions Gate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

www.lgf.com

Source: Lions Gate Films

CONTACT: Sarah Greenberg, +1-310-255-3856, sgreenberg@lgf.com, or
Russell Nelson, +1-310-255-3858, rnelson@lgf.com, both of Lions Gate Films

Web site: http://www.lgf.com/

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