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PRODUCTION UNDERWAY ON "KILL THE MESSENGER"

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"KILL THE MESSENGER", A TRUE-LIFE DRAMATIC THRILLER STARRING ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE JEREMY RENNER FOR DIRECTOR MICHAEL CUESTA (HOMELAND)

NEW YORK, July 25th, 2013 – Production has begun in Atlanta, Georgia on Kill the Messenger. Focus Features holds worldwide theatrical rights to the true-life dramatic thriller, which will be released in 2014. Focus CEO James Schamus and co-CEO Andrew Karpen made the announcement today.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner stars as Gary Webb, the real-life dedicated reporter for The San Jose Mercury-News. In the 1990s, Webb uncovered the Central Intelligence Agency’s role in importing cocaine into California that was sold to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. Supported by his wife and children, Webb pursued the story and went public with his evidence. When targeted for a vicious smear campaign by the CIA and rival journalists, Webb found himself fighting for his reputation and his family.

Joining Mr. Renner in the cast are Josh Close (of The Master), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), Academy Award nominee Andy Garcia, Lucas Hedges (Focus’ Moonrise Kingdom), Tim Blake Nelson (Lincoln), Robert Patrick (True Blood), Emmy Award winner Barry Pepper, Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Oliver Platt, Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Paz Vega (I’m So Excited!), Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire), and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (The Spectacular Now).

Michael Cuesta, an Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner for Homeland, is directing the movie from a screenplay by Peter Landesman that was inspired by the books Kill the Messenger, by Nick Schou; and Dark Alliance, by Gary Webb.

A Bluegrass Films production, the movie’s producers are Scott Stuber; Mr. Renner; and Naomi Despres. The film’s executive producers are Mr. Landesman; Don Handfield; Michael Bederman; and Pamela Abdy.

The filmmakers of Kill the Messenger also include production designer John Paino (whose latest credit is Focus’ upcoming Dallas Buyers Club), director of photography Sean Bobbitt (Focus’ The Place Beyond the Pines), and editor Brian Kates (The Savages).

Mr. Schamus and Mr. Karpen commented, “The story of Gary Webb, and the story he broke, is at once thrilling, emotional, and relevant to all of us in ‘the information age.’ Our team of filmmakers has been tireless in working to get this movie made, and we know that audiences will empathize with Jeremy’s compassionate portrayal of a man who did the right thing at great personal and professional cost.”

Focus Features and Focus Features International comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

In addition to Kill the Messenger, upcoming Focus Features releases include The World’s End, the new comedy reuniting director Edgar Wright with actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; Closed Circuit, the suspense thriller directed by John Crowley and starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall; the comedic fable The Boxtrolls, the new animated feature from LAIKA, directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable with a voice cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, and Tracy Morgan; Black Sea, the adventure thriller to star Jude Law for Academy Award-wining director Kevin Macdonald; Dallas Buyers Club, the fact-based drama directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Jared Leto; and Fifty Shades of Grey, the highly anticipated film adaptation of E L James’ #1 bestselling book that is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.

Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

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