Lionsgate's Critically Acclaimed Atomic Age Drama MANHATTAN to Launch as First "Exclusive" for Bell Media's "Project Latte"

- MANHATTAN joined by Lionsgate comedy DEADBEAT and crime thriller BOSCH as Bell Media reveals "Exclusives" strategy -

- From award-winning Director Thomas Schlamme, MANHATTAN stars John Benjamin Hickey -

"This drama about the race for the atomic bomb showed in its first season that, just like in nuclear science, powerful forces can come from small things."
- TIME Magazine on MANHATTAN

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TORONTO, Nov. 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today that it has secured the big-buzz drama MANHATTAN in its first Canadian window from Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader (MAD MEN, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, The Hunger Games, Divergent), for its new subscription on-demand video streaming service, code-named "Project Latte". A tent-pole series immediately available at launch, MANHATTAN becomes the first "Project Latte Exclusive" - TV series that will only be available to "Project Latte" subscribers.

The acclaimed drama will be joined in subsequent months by the comedy series DEADBEAT, also from Lionsgate; the crime thriller BOSCH, from Red Arrow International; and additional series, as "Project Latte Exclusives." Canada's premium TV streaming service, "Project Latte" will launch later this year.

From nine-time Emmy^® Award-winning Director Thomas Schlamme (THE WEST WING), the 13-episode one-hour drama MANHATTAN follows one of the best-kept secrets of all time - the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb.

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"MANHATTAN is the MAD MEN of the Atomic Era, and as a result is the perfect serialized drama to launch our 'Exclusives' strategy for Project Latte," said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, Bell Media. "Strategically, we are proactively serving the strong subscriber appetite for exclusive programming, and we're proud to start with this incredibly accomplished drama, along with the light-hearted comedy DEADBEAT and murder-mystery BOSCH."

"We're delighted to extend and expand our relationship with Bell Media and support the launch of their Project Latte streaming service with shows as diverse as MANHATTAN and DEADBEAT," said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer. "This deal underscores our commitment to deliver premium, quality content to online platforms as great partners like Bell Media continue to diversify the choices they offer their audiences."

The 10-episode, half-hour comedy series DEADBEAT, starring Canada's Tyler Labine, focuses on an offbeat medium for hire. Based on the award-winning crime fiction novels of author Michael Connelly, the 10-episode, one-hour drama BOSCH follows an LAPD homicide detective as he works to solve the murder of a 13-year-old boy.

MANHATTAN
Set in the 1940s, MANHATTAN depicts the wonder, danger, and deceit that shadowed the first "nuclear" families. The series follows Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey, THE BIG C) and his team of brilliant scientists who have been recruited to work on a classified project on a dusty foothill in the New Mexico desert. The team quickly begins to sense that this is no ordinary assignment. In fact, they are living in a town with the world's highest concentration of geniuses, yet it can't be found on any map - a place where men and women are torn between duty and their moral values, husbands and wives conceal the truth from each other and their families, the military keeps secrets from the scientists they chaperone, and the scientists keep secrets from each other.

The series also stars Olivia Williams (Rushmore) as Liza Winter; Daniel Stern (Home Alone) as Glen Babbit; Ashley Zukerman (THE CODE) as Charlie Isaacs; Rachel Brosnahan (OLIVE KITTERIDGE) as Abby Isaacs; Katja Herbers (DIVORCE) as Helen Prins; Vancouver native Alexia Fast (Jack Reacher) as Callie Winter; Christopher Denham (Argo) as Jim Meeks; Harry Lloyd (GAME OF THRONES) as Paul Crosley; Michael Chernus (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK) as Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz; and Eddie Shin (MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE) as Sid Liao.

DEADBEAT
DEADBEAT follows Kevin Pacalioglu (Brampton, Ont. native Tyler Labine, MAD LOVE), a medium for hire who attempts to solve various ghosts' unresolved problems, so that they can move on to a final resting place, occasionally with the help of his best friend and drug dealer, Roofie (Brandon T. Jackson, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters). DEADBEAT also stars Cat Deeley (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE) as medium Camomile and Lucy DeVito (IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA) as Sue.

BOSCH
Co-written by Emmy Award nominee Eric Overmyer (THE WIRE) and award-winning crime author Michael Connelly, BOSCH follows a relentless LAPD homicide detective named Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch (Titus Welliver, MARVEL AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.) as he works to solve the murder of a 13-year-old boy while standing trial in federal court for the murder of a serial killer. The series also stars Amy Aquino (BEING HUMAN) as Grace Billets and Amy Price-Francis (KING) as Sunny "Money" Chander.

In October, Bell Media announced a new video streaming service devoted exclusively to the best content on television, code-named "Project Latte". The service will feature thousands of hours of content representing TV's top premium brands, including the entire off-air library of HBO's iconic programming catalogue, and an unmatchable comedy slate headlined by SEINFELD and featuring every single episode of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS (1969-1974). Additional details about "Project Latte" - including its final name - will be announced in the weeks to come.

About "Project Latte":
Created for TV lovers and devoted exclusively to television, "Project Latte" is Canada's premium subscription on-demand video streaming service, providing the most robust lineup of superior television content in the country. From TV's most-acclaimed dramas and beloved comedies to documentaries, music, and factual programming, "Project Latte" will feature more than 10,000 hours of premium non-kids TV programming, with more than 350 unique TV titles. Designed to complement traditional television and available to all TV providers, to date "Project Latte" will be offered via set-top box to TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, and Bell Aliant FibreOP TV subscribers at launch. The service will also be available via mobile apps, the web, game consoles, and smart TVs. Set to launch later this year, "Project Latte" is from Bell Media, Canada's premier multi-media company.

About Bell Media:
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE: Bell Media