Lionsgate Becomes Addicted to Zane and de Passe

Lionsgate Becomes Addicted to Zane and de Passe

Studio Acquires Worldwide Rights to Best-Selling Erotic Thriller By Female African-American Cultural Phenomenon

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) Toronto, the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, announced today its acquisition of worldwide rights to the erotically charged thriller "Addicted" by New York Times bestselling author Zane. Zane and Academy Award(R) nominated producer Suzanne de Passe will produce the film. The announcement was made by Lionsgate President of Production Mike Paseornek.

The deal, which will pair Lionsgate's targeting of specific market segments with Zane's passionate fan base of predominantly African-American women, continues Lionsgate's commitment to bringing cultural sensations in large niches to a broader North American filmed entertainment audience.

"Zane is a cultural icon with a devoted legion of fans, and we are very excited about elevating her tremendous reach to include moviegoers nationwide," said Paseornek. "We believe that we can translate the success of her book into a film that brings her fiery passion and timeless, universal themes to an even larger audience not yet familiar with her work. Zane has written nine bestselling novels, and we hope that ADDICTED is just the beginning of a long and productive partnership that brings her body of work to the filmed entertainment audience it deserves."

"My novels have allowed me to encourage cultural conversation about the taboo topic of women's sexual desire, and by turning 'Addicted' into a feature film with Lionsgate, that conversation will be expanded," Zane said. "I know from communication with my fans that when women liberate themselves sexually, it improves all other aspects of their lives, so getting my first film made is a personal and political triumph for me."

"We are very excited to be working with Lionsgate, a company that has shown great passion and creativity in bringing daring, cutting edge projects to the forefront of the commercial marketplace," said de Passe. "'Addicted' does for women what FATAL ATTRACTION did for men. It will make women think twice before risking it all!"

A shocking and compelling examination of female sexuality and the hard realities of addiction, "Addicted" is one of Zane's most successful novels and has been translated into several foreign languages. The novel tells the story of Zoe, a successful African-American arts dealer who seems to have everything: marriage to the man she has loved since childhood, a thriving company and three wonderful children. But Zoe feels helpless in the grip of an overpowering addiction to sex, and finds herself driven towards a series of torrid affairs that threaten to destroy her marriage, leading her to the discovery that everybody is hiding secrets of their own.

The New York Times best-selling author of nine books, Zane has built a fervent following through her explicit, erotic depictions of female desire, told from an African-American perspective. She is the only author to hold three out of five of the bestselling titles for fiction in Essence Magazine and has dominated the list since her first published book in May 2000. She joins Toni Morrison and Terry McMillan as one of only three African-American women to make the New York Times fiction bestseller "print list" in this century. Zane won the 2006 NAACP Award for Outstanding Fiction for "Breaking the Cycle," an anthology on domestic violence and the lasting effect it has on children in those relationships. She has been selected by the NAACP to be their 2006 PSA Spokesperson for their membership drive to increase awareness of their organization among people aged 18-40. Zane's novel "Afterburn" won the 2006 Black Expressions Book of the Year Award, the third year in a row she has been tipped for the award by the club's membership of 400,000 readers. Her works include "Nervous," "Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth," "Skyscraper," and "Gettin'' Buck Wild: Sex Chronicles 2."

A one-woman entrepreneurial phenomenon, Zane is also the publisher of Strebor Books International, an imprint of ATRIA/Simon and Schuster. Under Strebor, she acquires 15 to 25 titles a year and currently has nearly 50 authors under her imprint. Next year, she will launch a Christian Fiction Line and a Youth Fiction line, as well as a body product line this summer and clothing and adult toy lines in the fall. In her partnership with Suzanne de Passe, de Passe/Zane Entertainment, she will produce at least six film projects yearly as well as television series and straight-to-DVD projects.

Zane is also developing a stage version of "Addicted," which will mark her first theatrical production. Zane is teaming with One Voice Communications as executive producer for the play, which will premiere during the fall of 2006 and tour 55 cities in 36 weeks.

A mother of three children, Zane started her career writing hard-edged erotic stories for her own enjoyment. After developing a cult following through Internet circulation, Zane turned down several deals with publishers who sought to tone down her work's hard-core sexuality. She self-published her first three titles in 2000, selling over 250,000 copies through word-of-mouth alone. She has since sold over 6 million books, and her works have been translated into several foreign languages and published around the world.

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Wayne Levin, EVP, Corporate Operations, and head of Lionsgate's business and legal affairs, Pamela Crockett, Esq. of Crockett and Associates and Darrell Miller of Miller & Pliakas, LLP on behalf of Zane, and de Passe.

ABOUT SUZANNE DE PASSE AND DE PASSE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC

A veteran of three decades in Hollywood, Suzanne de Passe, Chief Executive Officer of de Passe Entertainment Group LLC, continues to thrive as an independent producer of highly acclaimed miniseries, movies for television, specials, series, and award programs. The recipient of an Academy Award(R) nomination for co-writing the screenplay LADY SINGS THE BLUES, de Passe won two Emmy(R) Awards and NAACP Image Awards as executive producer of "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" and "Motown Returns To The Apollo." She also served as executive producer for the highly acclaimed and award-winning western miniseries LONESOME DOVE and THE JACKSONS: AN AMERICAN DREAM. Long recognized as a leader in both urban and general market entertainment, her company continues its commitment to provide and promote diversity in front of and behind the camera.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio. Fresh off the number one box office hits SAW II, HOSTEL and MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION and the Best Picture Academy Award(R)-winning CRASH, Lionsgate is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 5,000 titles is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

www.lionsgate.com
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For further information, contact:

Sarah Greenberg
310-255-3856
sgreenberg@lionsgate.com

Russell Nelson
310-255-3858
rnelson@lionsgate.com

For corporate inquiries, please contact:

Peter D. Wilkes
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
310-255-3726

Source: Lionsgate

CONTACT: Sarah Greenberg, +1-310-255-3856, sgreenberg@lionsgate.com, or
Russell Nelson, +1-310-255-3858, rnelson@lionsgate.com, or Peter D. Wilkes,
+1-310-255-3726, pwilkes@lionsgate.com, all of Lionsgate

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

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Profile: intent