LOS ANGELES / VANCOUVER – Rigel Entertainment has teamed with acclaimed producers, Lance H. Robbins and Bruce Cohn Curtis and prolific Saskatoon based production company Edge Entertainment to launch a slate of seven feature-length television movies based on the works of world-renowned suspense author Mary Higgins Clark. Rigel, Edge, Lance H. Robbins and Bruce Cohn Curtis have licensed the Mary Higgins Clark movie line-up to PAX TV who will debut the movie series in the United States in November 2002, which marks a continuation of the network’s successful original movie series based on the works of Mary Higgins Clark. Rigel will officially launch distribution of the telefilms at MIPCOM. David Doerksen, Lance H. Robbins and Bruce Cohn Curtis will serve as executive producers for the new movies which will be shot in Vancouver.
The titles included within the Mary Higgins Clark telelfilm slate are:
“We’ll Meet Again” – Socialite Molly Lasch is released from prison after serving a six-year sentence for the murder of her husband, Dr. Gary Lasch. Now, with the help of Fran, an investigative reporter, Molly sets out to prove her innocence. Together they uncover a conspiracy of silence at the Lasch Medical Center and a shocking secret that could cost both women their lives. Laura Leighton (“Melrose Place”) stars as Fran Silmon and Brandy Ledford (“Baywatch”) stars as Molly Carpenter Lasch.
“He Sees You When You’re Sleeping” – Sterling Brooks’ only chance to win his way o heaven is to rescue heart-broken child Marissa and her mother from mobsters who will stop at nothing to keep Marissa’s mother from testifying against them.
“Before I Say Goodbye” – Nell McDermott loses her husband in a fiery boating accident. With their relationship in question on the night of his death, Nell longs to connect with him again. She visits a psychic who informs her that her husband was murdered. Compelled to find the killer, Nell searches for an elusive witness who could solve the mystery – or end her life.
“A Crime of Passion” – Henry Parker Britland (retired U.S. President) and his wife Sunday (recently elected to Congreess) set out to solve baffling crimes occurring among their friends in political high society. From a long unsolved case reconstructed aboard the presidential yacht, to a kidnapping that brings Henry frantically back to the White House, the former president and his bride engage in some of the most audacious and original sleuthing ever imagined.
“The Cradle Will Fall” – County prosecutor Katie DeMaio is on a potential deadly course. Medical examiner Richard Carroll has uncovered evidence that Dr. Edgar Highley’s fertility practices were more than controversial – they were deceitful, depraved and often deadly. Before Richard can relay is fears to Katie, she leaves for what should be a routine surgery – but at the hands of Dr. Highley, that’s highly unlikely.
“I’ll Be Seeing You” – A father who vanished without a trace, a dead girl’s silent plea, a frantic mother and a desperate daughter are the driving forces behind this murder mystery in which Meghan Collins’ attempt to clear her father’s name of a brutal murder draws her into a web of deadly passions and deceit in, of all places, an exclusive in-vitro fertilization clinic she has been researching.
“Try To Remember” – Fred Rand returns to Long Island with the hope of avenging the death of his only daughter, meting out grim justice to the five individuals upon whom he blames her untimely demise. Rand’s scheme is stunningly clever in its speed and simplicity – can anyone stop him?
The film series will premiere with “We’ll Meet Again” which will air on PAX TV this November, 2002.
Celebrated worldwide as the “Queen of Suspense,” author Mary Higgins Clark is one of the world’s best-read authors, with over 300 million books in print, 27 of which are New York Times’ #1 best sellers. “This is a major franchise for any market and is probably one of the biggest franchises available today,” said Rigel Entertainment President, John F.S. Laing. “The sheer volume of books Mary Higgins Clark has sold, together with her ever-increasing popularity, means there is a wide and ever-growing worldwide audience for Mary Higgins Clark. We foresee huge video and DVD sales and continued excellent television potential.”
“We are delighted to join with Lance H. Robbins, Bruce Cohn Curtis and Edge Entertainment to bring the world of Mary Higgins Clark to a global audience,” said Laing. “This exciting project matches one of the most respected and accomplished names in suspense with a team of multi-award winning television producers to create a must-have film series for broadcasters worldwide.”
For Lance H. Robbins and Bruce Cohn Curtis, the Mary Higgins Clark telemovie series represents the first association between the producers and the author. “We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to work with Mary Higgins Clark and to join with Edge and Rigel Entertainment in adapting her outstanding literary works for television,” says Lance H. Robbins. “We have seen first-hand the international power of Mary Higgins Clark’s suspense and look forward to bringing these best-selling titles to audiences worldwide.”
Bruce Cohn Curtis adds, “Mary Higgins Clark is a major talent as well as global brand in her own right. I am thrilled to join forces with Lance, John F.S. Laing and David Doerksen in producing her works for television.”
Six previous telefilms are already in distribution through Rigel Entertainment and were produced by Sonny Grosso and Larry Jacobson and prolific UK based production company Alltime Entertainment.
The Mary Higgins Clark television series has already been sold in France to France 2, in Germany to ZDF Enterprises, and has also been extensively sold throughout the world including English and French-speaking Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Spain, South Africa, Poland, all of Eastern Europe, all of Latin & Central America and is now being widely distributed throughout the Far East. The total film series has now been sold in over 80 countries. Rigel Entertainment is presently negotiating worldwide video and television deals in Japan and the U.K.
Lance H. Robbins has produced or executive produced more than 250 movies and 11 series for video, cable and network broadcasts during his long run as President of Saban Entertainment, and more recently as President of Fox Family Studios Worldwide, including “Au Pair”, “Les Miserables”, “The Addams Family” and “The Menendez Brothers”.
Bruce Cohn Curtis, with some 25 movies to his credit, is a prolific film and television producer with credits including the sci-fi adventure “Dreamscape”, the controversial “Born Innocent” and cult horror favorite “Hell Night”, among others.
Paxson Communications Corporation owns and operates the nation’s largest broadcast television station group and PAX TV, the newest broadcast television network. PAX reaches 87% of U.S. television households via nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. PAX TV’s new fall 2002 primetime lineup includes original series premieres of “Body & Soul” starring Peter Strauss and Larissa Laskin, “Just Cause” starring Richard Thomas and Lisa Lackey, and “Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye” starring Deanne Bray in a new series by the producers of “Doc.” Returning original PAX series include “It’s A Miracle”, “Candid Camera” and “Doc” starring recording artist Billy Ray Cyrus. For more information, visit PAX TV’s website at www.pax.tv.
Established in 1995, Edge Entertainment has produced television movies such as “The Impossible Elephant”, “Now and Forever” and is presently producing the PAX TV series “Body & Soul”. David Doerksen, President of Edge Entertainment, is committed to acquiring, developing, producing and distributing quality original films and television programming for the global marketplace. Edge was recently selected as the 15th fastest growing business in Canada by Profit, The magazine for Canadian Entrepreneurs. Corporate headquarters are located in Sakskatoon, Saskatchewan. For more information, visit www.edgeentertainment.sk.ca.
Established in 1993, Rigel Entertainment has emerged as a significant force in the production and domestic and international distribution of primetime television programming. The company spearheaded the production of over 350 hours of programming, accounting for nearly $350 million in production. Working alongside many of Hollywood’s top producers, Rigel Entertainment has amassed an impressive slate of primetime hour-long series, miniseries, movies-of-the-week, half-hour series and theatrical films.
Media Contacts:
Gary Wahlquist
Rigel Entertainment
Please contact Nikki Sallie at Nikki@rigel.tv for appointments and Gary Wahlquist at Gary@rigel.tv for any further information.
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