MGM Teams With Nu Image/Millennium Films And Distinguished Filmmaker Irwin Winkler On Home of the Brave

MGM Teams With Nu Image/Millennium Films And Distinguished Filmmaker Irwin Winkler On Home of the Brave

CANNES, France, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has acquired all rights, including theatrical, home video and television, to the Irwin Winkler-directed Home of The Brave from Nu Image/Millennium Films, which will be produced in association with Emmett/Furla Films. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel and rapper 50 Cent as U.S. troops adjusting to life back home after enduring the physical and emotional toll of war in Iraq.

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Written by Mark Friedman based on a story by Mark Friedman and Irwin Winkler, Home of the Brave is a compelling and gripping film about the struggles of adjusting to civilian life for these war-torn veterans and is expected to draw comparisons to films such as the Academy Award(R) winning The Best Years of Our Lives as well as the acclaimed movies Coming Home and The Deer Hunter. Rob Cowan, Irwin Winkler, George Furla and Avi Lerner will serve as producers of the movie.

"Irwin Winkler commands a distinguished reputation in the motion picture industry as one of its most progressive and honored filmmakers," said Rick Sands, Chief Operating Officer, MGM. "We are pleased continue our association with Irwin who has brought many big hits to the MGM library over the years including the recent De-Lovely, which was distributed under the United Artists banner, to of course the Rocky movies, which stands today as one of the studio's most important franchises. We are confident Home of the Brave will have an indelible impact on the movie going public. This film sets a high standard by which other releases will be judged as we move into the filmmaker's awards season. Home of the Brave is indicative of the high quality filmmaking and compelling entertainment experience that MGM will once again be recognized for."

Clark Woods, President, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, MGM, added: "A film like this in the hands of Irwin Winkler is sure to make an impact with audiences. His personal preference for highly emotional and controversial stories will add a dimension to this project that other directors simply could not bring to the screen."

Winkler added: "Home of the Brave is an important movie and it will be the one of the first to address the anguish and struggle that many of our veterans in Iraq are now facing when they return home to their families and friends. It's a topical movie since it will speak to the many physical and emotional challenges these veterans are forced to confront. I have had a long and successful association with MGM and look forward to continuing it with the new MGM management team."

Lerner stated: "I am pleased to be in business with MGM, which is the best studio for the film. The new management team is talented, experienced and savvy when it comes to distributing and marketing films. They know how to make this movie stand out."

Winkler's films have received 12 Academy Awards from 45 nominations including four Best Picture nominations - a record that stands alone in contemporary Hollywood. Winkler received the Academy Award(R) for Best Picture for his 1976 Sylvester Stallone starrer Rocky. His other Best Picture nominations were for Raging Bull, The Right Stuff and Goodfellas, while They Shoot Horses, Don't They? amassed nine Oscar nominations. Winkler is the only producer to have three of his films listed on the American Film Institute's list of the "top 100 films" of all time.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,000 titles. Operating units including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 110 countries. Under the supervision of new Chairman and CEO Harry Sloan, MGM is revitalizing all areas of the company. As a result, the studio is now being positioned as an independent, vertical integrated multi-media company. MGM ownership is currently as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

CONTACT: Jeff Pryor
Executive Vice President/Corporate Communications
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
e.jpryor@mgm.com; m/ 310-500-7844

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Source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

CONTACT: Jeff Pryor, Executive Vice President/Corporate Communications
of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., +1-310-500-7844, e.jpryor@mgm.com

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

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Profile: International Entertainment