Mena Suvari ('American Beauty') and Golden Globe(R) Award Winner Matthew Modine ('Weeds') to Star in Lifetime Original Movie 'Sex & Lies in Sin City' (Working Title), the Shocking True Story of the Most Scandalous Murder Case in Las Vegas History

Mena Suvari ('American Beauty') and Golden Globe(R) Award Winner Matthew Modine ('Weeds') to Star in Lifetime Original Movie 'Sex & Lies in Sin City' (Working Title), the Shocking True Story of the Most Scandalous Murder Case in Las Vegas History

Based on the book Murder in Sin City by Jeff German

LOS ANGELES, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Mena Suvari ("American Beauty") and Matthew Modine ("Weeds") are set to star in the Lifetime Original Movie "Sex & Lies in Sin City" (wt), based on the true story of the death of wealthy Las Vegas casino heir Ted Binion and the ensuing trial of his lover and her con artist boyfriend. The movie is based on the book Murder in Sin City by Jeff German. "Sex & Lies in Sin City," produced by The Konigsberg Company and Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television, will premiere on Lifetime in September.

"Much like a trip to Vegas, this movie is a guilty pleasure," said Tanya Lopez, senior vice president, Original Movies, Lifetime Networks, in making the announcement. "Ripped from the headlines, 'Sex & Lies in Sin City' captures all of the true crime story elements and the madness that surrounded Ted Binion's life."

"We are thrilled to be working with director Peter Medak on this fascinating true story of sex, drugs and an untimely death all with exciting Las Vegas as our backdrop," said Helen Verno, executive vice president, movies and miniseries, Sony Pictures Television.

"Sex & Lies in Sin City" tells the story of the death of reckless casino executive Ted Binion (Modine), heir to the Binion Horseshoe Casino fortune. In September, 1998, Binion was found dead in his Las Vegas home by his beautiful ex-stripper girlfriend Sandy Murphy (Suvari). On the surface, it appears Binion died of a self-induced drug overdose, as he regularly abused illicit drugs. However, questions arise when Ted's younger estranged sister Becky Binion tells police she believes her brother was murdered. Meanwhile, police discover that Murphy, who met Binion after first coming to Las Vegas in search of a better life, was cheating on him and that 24 hours before his death, Binion had Murphy removed from his will. Also, within hours of the suspicious death, Murphy's lover, Rick Tabish, was caught trying to steal Binion's hidden silver bullion in the Nevada desert. Ultimately, a scandalous trial sheds light on the astonishing greed that culminated in the death of one of the Desert Oasis' most notorious men.

Mena Suvari is best known for her role in the Academy Award(R)-winning film "American Beauty" for which she was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Other acting credits include "Factory Girl," "Brooklyn Rules," "Rumor Has It," "Domino," "Beauty Shop," "Sonny," "Spun," "American Pie" and "American Pie 2." Suvari was also a recurring character in the critically acclaimed HBO series "Six Feet Under." Other television appearances include a recurring part on the Steven Spielberg-produced series "High Incident" and "Chicago Hope." Suvari recently completed production on "The Garden of Eden" directed by John Irvin and can currently be seen in "Stuck" opposite Stephen Rea followed by "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" with Sienna Miller and Nick Nolte.

Matthew Modine is an acting veteran with more than 50 films to his credit including "Birdy," "Married to the Mob," "Vision Quest," "Full Metal Jacket," "Orphans," "Pacific Heights" and "On Any Given Sunday," to name a few. He won a special Golden Globe(R) Award for his work in the ensemble cast of "Short Cuts." In television, he earned Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) Award nominations for his performance in the critically acclaimed, Emmy(R)-winning drama "And the Band Played On" and a Golden Globe(R) nomination for "What the Deaf Man Heard." Other television credits include the miniseries "Hitler: The Rise and Fall of Evil," Steven Spielberg's "Into the West," "The Winning Season" and "The Bedford Diaries." He was most recently seen on the Showtime series "Weeds."

"Sex & Lies in Sin City" is produced by The Konigsberg Company and Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television. Executive producer is Frank Konigsberg (Lifetime's "Caught in the Act," "The Last Don"). Peter Medak ("Romeo is Bleeding," "Carnivale") directs from a script written by Teena Booth (Lifetime's "A Little Thing Called Murder").

Suvari is repped by Gersh Agency and attorney Debbie Klein. Modine is repped by Innovative, Untitled Entertainment and attorneys Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein.

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark

off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT also owns one-half of cable channel GSN, and is a partner in FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service. Sony Pictures Television oversees all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's (SPE) domestic digital distribution efforts across all platforms, including the internet and mobile. Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses, for Sony BMG and for iN DEMAND's high-definition channel Mojo and Tennis Channel, and is part owner of national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

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Source: Lifetime Networks

CONTACT: Tracy Speed of Lieftime, +1-310-556-7541,
tspeed@lifetimetv.com; Karen Barragan of Sony Pictures Television,
+1-310-244-6467, karen_barragan@spe.sony.com

Web site:

http://www.lifetimetv.com/
http://mylifetime.com/
http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photography is available at www.lifetimepress.com

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