Starz Finds 'Magic' in Miami Series

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment has greenlit "Magic City," an exciting new series centered around a hotel in the heart of sexy, exciting Miami at the dawn of the 1960s, from writer/producer Mitch Glazer and executive producers Geyer Kosinski and Tony To, Starz, LLC, President and CEO Chris Albrecht announced today.

Casting will begin soon on the 10-episode dramatic series that will start production in the new year in Miami, and will air on Starz in 2012.

As Frank Sinatra rings in a new year in the grand ballroom of Miami Beach's most luxurious dream palace – the Miramar Hotel – its visionary leader, Ike Evans, must deal with the Mob, his complicated family and a city in the midst of dramatic change as Fidel Castro takes control of Cuba, just 200 miles offshore. By day the hotel at the center of "Magic City" is all diving clown acts and cha-cha lessons by the pool, but at night Miami Beach reveals a darker truth. Dopers, dealers, strippers, gangsters and those who arrest them drift together to hear the top nightclub acts perform. Just beneath the surface, racial tensions stir. Ike must deal with all of this, even while global intrigue is brewing right under his roof.

"Mitch has created a world populated with unforgettable characters and with a big, dynamic story," Albrecht notes. "The talented creative team that has come together for 'Magic City' will ensure a show that we think audiences won't want to miss."

"I was born and raised in Miami Beach, grew up in those swank hotel lobbies. I love that world and those stories," Glazer adds. "Miami in the early '60s was a tropical crossroads, America's Casablanca – the Rat Pack, CIA, the mob, JFK and anti-Castro warriors – all hanging out in the same Collins Avenue nightclub."

"Magic City" was conceived by Glazer (The Recruit, Scrooged), who is writing the first three episodes and eight episodes overall. The show is being produced by Media Talent Group, with its CEO Geyer Kosinski ("Going to California," "Hope & Faith," Beyond Borders) executive producing along with Tony To ("From the Earth to the Moon," "Band of Brothers").

"Magic City" joins a lineup of memorable TV entertainment from Starz. Debuting Jan. 21, 2011 is the six-episode "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," starring John Hannah, Lucy Lawless and newcomer Dustin Clare as Gannicus. It is followed in spring of 2011 by "Camelot," a fresh retelling of the King Arthur legend starring Jamie Campbell Bower, Joseph Fiennes and Eva Green, an Irish-Canadian production from GK-TV, co-produced by Irish production company Octagon, UK's Ecosse Films and Take 5 Productions in Canada. Then, later in the year, Starz will debut "Torchwood: The New World," a co-production with BBC Worldwide that stars John Barrowman and Eve Myles, with additional casting due soon.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 16 premium channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.4 million and 32 million subscribers respectively.  Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its Starz, Encore and MoviePlex brands.  Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation and is attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group (Nasdaq: LSTZA).

SOURCE Starz Entertainment, LLC