CBS Films and Simon & Schuster in Film And Publishing Deal For Best-Selling Author Vince Flynn

CBS Films and Simon & Schuster in Film And Publishing Deal For Best-Selling Author Vince Flynn

Simon & Schuster's Atria Books Acquires Flynn's Next Four Novels

CBS Films Options Rights To Develop Feature Films Based On Flynn's Mitch Rapp Character

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS Films and Simon & Schuster/Atria Books-both divisions of CBS Corporation-have reached film and publishing agreements with best-selling author Vince Flynn for upcoming projects, it was jointly announced by Amy Baer, President & CEO of CBS Films, and Carolyn Reidy, President & CEO of Simon & Schuster.

Flynn is the author of nine best-selling novels, eight of which feature the popular character, counter-terrorism operative Mitch Rapp. There are over 10 million copies of Flynn's books in print in the U.S., and with his most recent book, Protect and Defend, he joined the ranks of those select few authors who can immediately claim the Number One spot on hardcover bestseller lists in their first week on sale.

CBS Films has optioned the rights for Flynn's Mitch Rapp character with the intention of creating a character-based, action-thriller movie franchise. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who produced two of last summer's hits - "Transformers" and Stephen King's "1408" - and Nick Wechsler ("We Own The Night") are in negotiations to produce the films.

Flynn's new agreement with Atria and Simon & Schuster is a four book global publishing deal for all world rights, including translation and audio. The worldwide simultaneous English language publication of the first book in the agreement by Atria and Simon & Schuster companies in the U.K., Canada and Australia will take place in 2010. Flynn will be published under the direction of Atria Executive Vice President and Publisher Judith Curr, and Vice President and Executive Editorial Director Emily Bestler, who made the acquisition.

"We have always passionately believed in Vince Flynn's star potential as a bestselling author, and equally that his books deserved the even wider audience and exposure that can be reached through feature films," said Reidy. "That this comes about through our relationship with CBS Films is even more exciting for us, and we look forward to seeing Mitch Rapp on the screen, and many more Simon & Schuster properties developed in conjunction with CBS."

"One of my first goals for CBS Films was to find a character-based movie franchise," said Baer. "With the Mitch Rapp series, Vince Flynn has created a relatable, modern, post-9/11 hero for the action/thriller genre. It is an amazing collection of creative material that offers tremendous potential for a smart, energizing new film franchise with appeal to a wide range of movie- going audiences. The publishing world has always provided abundant source material for motion pictures, and we're fortunate that our corporate cousins at Simon & Schuster attract and nurture some of the world's best literary assets."

"Vince Flynn's career has been steadily on the rise since he self- published his first book, Term Limits, and together we've watched his popularity grow with every successive publication," said Curr. "Now readers and moviegoers alike can savor more of the thrilling insider insight and verisimilitude that has made him a favorite of average citizens and the national security operatives who protect us."

"I couldn't be happier with this deal," said Flynn. "Signing up for four more books, keeping the movie in the family with CBS Films and getting Lorenzo and Nick to sign on as producers ... it's the outcome I'd always hoped for. Loyalty is a big thing to me. Simon & Schuster, Atria and Pocket Books have stood by me for 10 years and done a magnificent job publishing my novels. Lorenzo and Nick have been trying to bring Mitch Rapp to the big screen since 2004, so there is a level of commitment on their part that is very comforting to me. They understand Mitch Rapp, as does Amy Baer and her team. It is going to be a lot of fun watching CBS Films hit this thing out of the park."

"Vince has created an unbelievably unique and dynamic character in Mitch Rapp," said di Bonaventura. "Nick and I can't wait to bring him to the screen and we feel lucky to be doing this in partnership with CBS."

Sloan Harris and Ron Bernstein of ICM represented Flynn for the publishing and film agreements.

About Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonsays.com.

About CBS Films

CBS Films, established in 2007, plans to develop and produce four to six movies a year spanning all genres, with production budgets up to $50 million per film. The films will be released domestically through a U.S. theatrical distribution unit to be established within CBS Films.

About CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS.A)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), in-store media (CBS Outernet) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more information, log on to www.cbscorporation.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: KJorgensen@cbs.com

Source: CBS Corporation

CONTACT: For CBS Films: Chris Ender, +1-323-575-2021, cender@tvc.cbs.com;
For Simon & Schuster: Adam Rothberg, +1-212-698-1132,
adam.rothberg@simonandschuster.com; or For Atria: David Brown,
+1-212-698-7092, david.brown@simonandschuster.com

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

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http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/185007.html

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