EPIX, premium entertainment network, announced today the acquisition of
U.S. rights to the new documentary Milius which will be screened
at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival. The EPIX Original Documentary,
which will premiere on EPIX and all platforms including EpixHD.com and
on EPIX apps, examines the life story of one of the most influential and
controversial film directors in the history of Hollywood, John Milius,
and his fall from Hollywood grace despite his legendary work.
Milius’ work includes infamous films such as "Apocalypse Now", "Jaws",
"Conan The Barbarian", "Dirty Harry" and "Red Dawn” but he ultimately
faced dismissal from Hollywood due to his radical beliefs and
controversial behavior. He was a mentor to filmmaking greats including
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and had a profoundly positive impact
on their career, and yet he began to find it increasingly difficult to
get his projects made due to violence and fallout from Red Dawn.
The documentary explores whether the persona of “Milius” – the gun
slinging, anti-Hollywood conservative – may have completely overshadowed
“John”, the acclaimed writer and director. Are his best years behind
him? Or is his final chapter going to redefine what the world, and the
movie industry, thinks of John Frederick Milius?
The film includes in depth interviews with Milius himself and others
such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Francis
Ford Coppola, Harrison Ford, Michael Mann, Robert Zemeckis, Oliver
Stone, Bryan Singer, Charlie Sheen, Matthew Weiner and more.
“Milius is the fascinating story about a major character in
Hollywood who brought some of the most influential films to light, and
yet whose polarizing personality led to his obscurity. It will be a
tremendous addition to the EPIX Docs slate and we’re pleased to premiere
it on all platforms our viewers will want to watch it,” said Mark
Greenberg, EPIX President and CEO.
“We made a documentary that highlights the trials and tribulations of
one of Hollywood’s biggest living influencers, whose pipeline of
directing work stalled but who remains very much an icon. We are
thrilled to work with EPIX to give people a first hand view of Milius’
work and the ending to his career which has yet to be written,” said Zak
Knutson and Joey Figueroa, Directors and Co-Founders of Chop Shop
Entertainment.
About EPIX
EPIX is the newest premium entertainment network delivering the latest
movie releases, classic library titles, plus original films, comedy,
music and sports events on TV, on demand, online and on devices.
Launched October 2009 as the first multiplatform premium network with
online accessibility for subscribers through EpixHD.com, EPIX pioneered
the development and proliferation of TV Everywhere for American
consumers. EPIX was the first premium network to launch on Xbox
consoles, first on Android tablets and phones, first on Roku® players
and is available to authenticated subscribers on hundreds of devices
including Apple® iPads®, iPhones®, Samsung® Smart TVs and Blu-ray™
players and more. Today EPIX remains the only premium service providing
its entire monthly line-up from new Hollywood hits to original programs
on all platforms and provides more movies than any other premium network.
EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIA.B), its
Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), available to over 30 million homes nationwide
through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox
Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink
Communications and Verizon FiOS.
For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com.
Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EPIX.
Copyright Business Wire 2013