Jerry O'Connell ('Crossing Jordan'), Lauren Stamile ('Grey's Anatomy') and Academy Award(R) Winner Faye Dunaway ('Chinatown') to Star in Lifetime Original Movie 'Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou' to Premiere in 2009 on Lifetime
Additional Nora Roberts Adaptations Include 'Nora Roberts' High Noon,'
'Nora Roberts' Tribute' and 'Nora Roberts' Northern Lights'
#1 New York Times Best-Selling Author, Roberts Has Over 300 Million
Books in Print
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 -- The Lifetime Original Movie "Nora
Roberts' Midnight Bayou," starring Jerry O'Connell ("Crossing Jordan"),
Lauren Stamile ("Grey's Anatomy") and Faye Dunaway ("Chinatown") is the
second of the 2009 Nora Roberts' movie slate to begin production.
Additional adaptations include "Nora Roberts' High Noon," "Nora Roberts'
Tribute" and "Nora Roberts' Northern Lights." Mandalay Television and
Stephanie Germain Productions will produce the film with Peter Guber and
Stephanie Germain serving as executive producers.
In making the announcement, Tanya Lopez, Senior Vice President,
Original Movies, Lifetime Networks, said, "'Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou'
is a love story with a twist that will not disappoint loyal Nora Roberts
fans. We are thrilled to have popular television stars Jerry O'Connell,
Lauren Stamile, and the incomparable Faye Dunaway in the cast."
The four previous Nora Roberts' movies that aired on Lifetime
Television in 2007 together reached over 34 million viewers total and "Nora
Roberts' Angels Fall" was the highest rated Lifetime Original Movie of
2007.
In "Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou," Harvard-educated lawyer Declan
Fitzpatrick (O'Connell), impulsively gives up his settled life to buy Manet
Hall, a newly restored plantation manor near New Orleans which he has
always found himself drawn to. Legend has it that the house is haunted, and
shortly after Declan moves in he starts hearing voices and seeing things.
Declan is also distracted by an undeniable attraction to Cajun local Lena
Simone (Stamile), who grew up on the bayou with her grandmother Odette
(Dunaway), and has her own deep connection to the manor. Living in the
house, Declan begins to have visions from a century past and details of
events that took place in the mansion. With the help of Odette, Declan and
Lena realize that they are inextricably linked with Manet Hall and uncover
a shocking secret that has been hidden there for more than one hundred
years.
With an impressive body of work that encompasses television, film and
theatre, Jerry O'Connell is one of Hollywood's most versatile actors.
O'Connell began his acting career at the age of 11, when he co-starred in
the classic feature film "Stand By Me," directed by Rob Reiner. He then
took a break from acting and returned to it after completing his education
at New York University. He went on to receive critical acclaim for his role
as Cush in "Jerry Maguire," with Tom Cruise. His additional feature film
credits include "Yours, Mine and Ours," "Kangaroo Jack," "Tomcats," "Scream
2" and "Mission to Mars." On television he has starred in "Crossing
Jordan," "Do Not Disturb," "Carpoolers" and "Sliders." O'Connell's
additional television credits include guest-starring roles in "Samantha
Who," "Ugly Betty," "Las Vegas," "Without a Trace" and the miniseries "The
'60s."
Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lauren Stamile performed in her
first play at age four. After majoring in theater at Northwestern
University, Stamile moved to New York and Hollywood to pursue acting
professionally. She is best known for her role as "Nurse Rose" on the hit
ABC series, "Grey's Anatomy." Stamile has had starring roles in the
made-for-television movie "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of
Charlie's Angels" and The WB series "Off Centre." Her guest-starring roles
on television include "Scrubs," "Heroes," "Boston Legal," "NUMB3RS,"
"Criminal Minds," "The West Wing," "Cold Case," "Crossing Jordan" and
"Without a Trace."
Emmy(R), Golden Globe(R) and Academy Award(R)-winning actress Faye
Dunaway made her acting debut on Broadway in 1962. Her first big screen
role came in 1967 in "The Happening," and her first starring role was
shortly after in "Bonnie and Clyde," opposite Warren Beatty. Her extensive
film credits include "Chinatown," "The Arrangement," "The Three
Musketeers," "The Towering Inferno," "Mommie Dearest," "Don Juan DeMarco,"
"Network," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Jennifer's Shadow" and "The Rules of
Attraction." Her television credits include "CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation," "Alias," "It Had to Be You" and "Touched by an Angel," as
well as numerous made-for-television movies including, "Cold Sassy Tree,"
"Rebecca," "Running Mates," "A Will of Their Own" and "A Family Divided."
The Nora Roberts' adaptations join an impressive list of novels
developed into Lifetime Original Movies including the top rated basic cable
movie for 2008, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," starring Dermot Mulroney,
Emily Watson and Gretchen Mol, and Jodi Picoult's "The Tenth Circle,"
starring Kelly Preston, Ron Eldard and Brittany Robertson.
Since publishing her first novel in 1981, Roberts has gone on to become
a #1 New York Times best-selling sensation. With more than 300 million
books in print, Roberts' novels have spent a combined 138 weeks at the #1
spot on the coveted Times list. In addition, since 1999, every book
published under her name has hit the New York Times best seller list.
Amazon.com recently reported that Roberts is their third most popular
author -- following only Tom Clancy and JK Rowling. Roberts is a member of
several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and
the publishing industry. Nora Roberts is represented by literary agent Amy
Berkower at Writers House, LLC and by CAA. Nora Roberts' books are
published by Penguin Group (US).
"Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou" is produced by Mandalay Television and
Stephanie Germain Productions for Lifetime Television. Peter Strauss ("The
Jacket"), Peter Guber ("Rainman," "Batman," "The Color Purple," "The
Jacket") and Stephanie Germain (Lifetime's "Gracie's Choice," "The Day
After Tomorrow") are the executive producers. Gideon Amir ("The Mists of
Avalon") will serve as producer. Stephen Tolkin (Lifetime's "Nora Roberts'
Carolina Moon") wrote the teleplay and Ralph Hemecker (Lifetime's "Nora
Roberts' Angels Falls") will direct.
In addition to the first four Nora Roberts Lifetime Original Movies,
through her production company, Stephanie Germain produced TNT's Johnson &
Johnson presentation of Richard Paul Evan's bestseller, "A Perfect Day,"
starring Rob Lowe; and Lifetime's "Gracie's Choice," starring Kristin Bell,
Diane Ladd and Anne Heche, who received an Emmy(R) nomination for her
performance. "Gracie's Choice" premiered in January 2004 and became one of
cable's highest rated films. Some additional credits include: the highest
rated television movie of its season, CBS' "The Pilot's Wife," based on
Anita Shreve's bestseller and starring Emmy(R) and Oscar(R) award winner
Christine Lahti; the ABC special effects extravaganza "Superfire," created
by best-selling authors Richard Preston and Doug Preston; ABC's "King of
the World: The Muhammad Ali Story," based upon the book by Pulitzer Prize
winner David Remnick and starring Terrence Howard; ABC's "Holiday In Your
Heart," starring LeAnn Rimes and Bernadette Peters; CBS' miniseries "The
Doris Duke Story," starring Lauren Bacall and Richard Chamberlain; and the
TBS premiere movie "Fatal Error," starring Janine Turner. Germain
co-produced Showtime's one hour series, "Jeremiah," starring Luke Perry,
for two seasons. She was also an executive producer on the blockbuster "The
Day After Tomorrow," starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal, and
directed by Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day").
Mandalay Television has achieved great success in series, long form
television movies and miniseries. Mandalay's critically acclaimed, Peabody
Award-winning series "Brotherhood" is entering its third season on
Showtime. Mandalay movies and miniseries have produced some of the
strongest ratings of all-time, including Dean Koontz's "Intensity," a
four-hour miniseries based on the best seller by Dean Koontz -- the highest
rated miniseries ever on FOX Broadcasting; "First Daughter," a two-hour
original movie starring Muriel Hemingway for TBS which was the highest
rated basic cable movie in history and spawned two sequels, "First Target"
and "First Shot"; "Blood Crime," which launched USA's Crime Friday and was
the highest rated original program for the network in 2002; and "The Linda
McCartney Story" for CBS. Mandalay Television has recently completed
production on "RPM," a ground breaking microseries for TNT starring
Johnathon Schaech.
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real
Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime
Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The
Walt Disney Company.
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