FX ACQUIRES NEW SITCOM STARRING CHARLIE SHEEN
“Anger Management”
Los Angeles, October 27, 2011- Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen will return to television in summer 2012 on FX in Anger Management, a new sitcom loosely based on Revolution Studios’ 2003 hit comedy feature of the same name, announced John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks.
FX has ordered 10 episodes of Anger Management from Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury, led by Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein. Production on the sitcom will begin in early 2012 with comedy veteran writer-producer Bruce Helford (George Lopez, The Drew Carey Show) as executive producer and showrunner. It will be produced by Lionsgate Television, led by Television Group President Kevin Beggs and COO Sandra Stern; Joe Roth and Revolution Studios’ Vince Totino; Sheen manager Mark Burg’s production company, Evolution Management; and Ramon Estevez and Estevez Sheen Productions.
In success, FX will pick up an additional 90 episodes under a unique syndication model crafted by Debmar-Mercury for multiple Tyler Perry sitcoms and Revolution’s and Ice Cube’s Are We There Yet? The series will air exclusively on FX until the off-network episodes start airing in broadcast syndication in fall 2014.
"We think that Bruce Helford, Joe Roth and Charlie Sheen have come up with a wonderful, hilarious vehicle for Charlie's acting talents—and a character we are very much looking forward to seeing him play,” said John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. “Two and a Half Men has been an outstanding component of FX's schedule for the past 14 months, and we have every confidence that Anger Management will soon be as well."
Sheen will retain a significant ownership stake in the series inspired by the film, in which an anger management therapist, who may need more counseling than his patients, wreaks havoc on the lives of his patients through his unconventional methods.
“I have been fortunate to work with Charlie Sheen on six hit films,” said Roth. “Now to have Charlie, the number one comedy star on TV, doing Anger Management, feels like a perfect fit. And I could not be happier than being back at Fox with John Landgraf and Chuck Saftler.”
“We were very gratified by the high level of interest in Anger Management from across the industry,” commented Marcus and Bernstein. “Ultimately, we felt FX’s track record for airing daring and distinctive shows would provide the perfect home for a sitcom headlined by one of the most successful sitcom stars of all time and produced by Joe Roth.”
Beggs said, "The FX brand epitomizes creative excellence and risk-taking combined with entrepreneurial business acumen. Partnering with them onAnger Management is a no-brainer and we are thrilled to bring Charlie Sheen, Bruce Helford and this amazing creative team to the FX family of original series."
“Charlie and I are thrilled to be in business with FX and look forward to producing this series for years to come,” said Burg.
Charlie Sheen, who has starred in more than 40 feature films, catapulted to fame in such critical and commercial hits as Platoon and Wall Street. His other feature film credits include Major League, Red Dawn, Lucas, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Eight Men Out, Young Guns, Hot Shots!, Hot Shots! Part Deux, The Three Musketeers, TheChase, Money Talks, Being John Malkovich, Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. He also appeared in the television movies Rated X and Good Advice.
Sheen became known to television audiences through his Golden Globe Award-winning lead role in Spin City. In 2003, Sheen was cast as Charlie Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, which was loosely based on Sheen's bad boy image. The role garnered him an ALMA Award and four Emmy Award nominations, as well as two Golden Globe Award nominations for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.
In 2011, Sheen set a new Guinness World Record for Twitter as the "Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers," adding an average of 129,000 new followers per day.
About FX
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from the Fox Networks Group. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.
About Debmar-Mercury
Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes for daytime television The Wendy Williams Show and The Jeremy Kyle Show, and has U.S. distribution rights to Fremantle Media North America’s Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne, spinoff Meet the Browns and For Better or Worse (premiering on TBS in November), and through Revolution Studios’ Joe Roth, Debmar-Mercury distributes the sitcoms Anger Management (premiering on FX in summer 2012 and starring Charlie Sheen) and CubeVision’s Are We There Yet?(starring Ice Cube); as well as the Revolution Studios and CubeVision sitcom ; and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park, Hell’s Kitchen and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next-generation studio.
About Revolution Studios:
Revolution Studios was founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, in partnership with Sony Pictures, Starz Encore Group and Fox Entertainment Group. Since its inception, Revolution Studios has created a library of 46 films, including "Black Hawk Down," "Maid in Manhattan," "Anger Management," and the "Are We There Yet?" franchise, collectively earning more than $3.7 billion at the box office. Currently, Revolution Studios is engaged in actively managing its library and pursuing licensing opportunities, including sequels, spin-offs, and other productions based on its films.
Prior to forming Revolution Studios, Joe Roth served as chairman of both the Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox. In addition to being the majority owner of the Seattle Sounders FC, a major league soccer team, Roth produced “Alice in Wonderland” for Disney, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, which went on to gross over $1 billion. He is currently producing “OZ: The Great and Powerful” for Disney, directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams; and “Snow White and the Huntsman” for Universal, directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin.
About Lionsgate Television:
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new channel platforms. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as “Mad Men,” “Weeds,” and “Nurse Jackie” along with recent series such as the comedy “Blue Mountain State” and the critically-acclaimed drama "Boss" as well as the syndication successes “Tyler Perry’sHouse Of Payne,” its spinoff “Meet the Browns,” “The Wendy Williams Show,” “Are We There Yet?” and the upcoming "Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse."
Its feature film business has generated more than half a billion dollars at the North American box office in the past year, fueled by such hits as THE EXPENDABLES, LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE LAST EXORCISM, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. The Company’s home entertainment business has grown to more than 8% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
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