Cannes – MIPTV marks the launch of The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, an all-new television event from A+E Studios International’s slate. Starring Kelli Garner (The Aviator, Pan Am) in the title role, the programme also stars Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise, Bull Durham, Dead Man Walking) also stars, along with Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Emily Watson (The Theory of Everything, The Book Thief, Hilary and Jackie), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy, Watchmen, Texas Rising).
Based on J. Randy Taraborrelli’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe introduces a young Norma Jeane Mortenson as she battles a lonely, loveless existence with an absent mother. Despite the odds, Norma Jeane blossoms into a smart, ambitious woman and reinvents herself as Marilyn Monroe. As her fame grows, all three of her marriages crumble publicly. Marilyn is unable to control the onset of mental illness inherited from her mother, Gladys (Sarandon) – a woman she loves, hates and tries to save. Although kept secret, Gladys remained a vital and troubling influence. Ultimately, Marilyn gives her best performance of all hiding her darkest secrets from the world. Produced by Asylum Entertainment for Lifetime®Television.
A+E Studios International, an A+E Networks® brand, is the banner under which the company distributes and finances quality scripted series, television events and movies. MIPTV highlights include UnREAL, Sons of Liberty, and Gangland Undercover.
Set against the backdrop of the hit dating competition show Everlasting, UnREAL(10×1 hour) is led by flawed heroine Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby), a young producer whose sole job is to manipulate her relationships with and among the contestants to get the vital dramatic and outrageous footage that the program’s dispassionate executive producer, Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), demands. What ensues is an eye-opening look at what happens in the outrageous world of unscripted television, where being a contestant can be vicious and producing it is a whole other reality. Produced by A+E Studios for Lifetime Television.
Rogues become rebels and rebels become heroes in Sons of Liberty (3 x 2 hours or 6 x 1 hour). This television event follows a defiant and radical group of young men – Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren – as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation. Calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, they light the spark that ignites a revolution. While many of their names have become legendary, this group of rebels didn’t start off as noble patriots. They were a new generation of young American men from varied backgrounds, struggling to find purpose in their lives. They were looking for equality, but they found something greater: independence. Produced by A+E Studios and Stephen David Entertainment for HISTORY®.
Charles Falco is one of only three men ever to infiltrate three different outlaw biker gangs. With his savvy, expertise and immense courage, Falco has helped law enforcement bring some of America’s most dangerous and feared gangs to justice. Gangland Undercover (6 x 1 hour) takes us deep inside the notorious Vagos operation. Working in conjunction with law enforcement and drawing on the wealth of material from Falco’s book, this series captures the reality of outlaw biker counterculture. With Falco’s assistance, the FBI finally gets what it needs to break up these feared criminal gangs. Produced by Cineflix Productions for HISTORY.
Among the movies launching at MIPTV are If There Be Thorns (1 x 2 hours) andSeeds of Yesterday (1 x 2 hours), based on the final novels from the Dollanganger book series by V.C. Andrews. Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind, starring Heather Graham and Ellen Burstyn, introduced the world to the tragic story of the Dollanganger family. The saga continues with these final two installments, both starring Jason Lewis (Sex and the City) and Rachael Carpani (McLeod’s Daughters). A+E Studios produced the films in association with Front Street Pictures for Lifetime Television.
Other movies from the A+E Studios International catalogue include Angela Bassett’s directorial debut, Whitney, and Big Driver, based on a story by Stephen King and starring Maria Bello and Olympia Dukakis.
