Antonio Banderas to Star in New Starz Series HAVANA QUARTET

Starz Chief Executive Officer Chris Albrecht announced at today's Starz Television Critics Association (TCA) presentation at the Beverly Hilton that Starz is developing Entertainment One Television's (eOne) "Havana Quartet" starring international film star Antonio Banderas (Evita, The Mask of Zorro, The Expendables 3). Celebrated Cuban writer Eduardo Machado (STARZ Original series "Magic City," "Hung") will write the pilot and executive produce with Banderas alongside Peter Nadermann of Nadcon Film, as well as Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny of Sienna Films. eOne will serve as the studio and produce the hour-long drama series, as well as distribute the show worldwide.

Based on the popular four-book series of detective novels "Havana Blue," "Havana Gold," "Havana Red" and "Havana Black" written by acclaimed Cuban novelist Leonardo Padura, "Havana Quartet" follows hard-drinking, romantic Cuban Police Detective Mario Conde (Banderas) who longs to be a writer but settled for a job as a detective.

"Starz continues to see great opportunity in continued programming diversification with many communities and genres," Albrecht said. "Partnering with eOne to develop the drama series 'Havana Quartet' with international star Antonio Banderas will allow us to give viewers a premium show that highlights the decaying beauty of Cuba during its 'Special Period' - a time and place which tourists rarely got to experience."

"'Havana Quartet' is a series that captures both the romance and the underbelly of a country that has struck our collective curiosity and imagination for decades, and it was important for us to create a show that is authentic to Padura's elegant, noir-tinged novels and to Cuba itself. We are delighted to partner with Starz and to have assembled such an exceptional team of talent to bring this special project to life," said Pancho Mansfield, President of Global Scripted Programming, eOne Television.

Starz will retain all network pay TV and SVOD rights to the project. eOne's Carrie Stein, EVP of Global Productions, will oversee the project for the studio along with Becca Tesarfreund, Director of Development.

Banderas, born in Málaga, Spain, made his film debut in 1982 in Laberinto de Pasione (Labyrinth of Passion) and his first American film, The Mambo Kings in 1992. Banderas went on to star in many hit films including Philadelphia, Interview with the Vampire, Desperado, Evita, The Mask of Zorro and most recently, The Expendables 3. In 2004 he joined the highly successful Shrek franchise voicing the adorable sword-fighting cat Puss In Boots, and appeared in each of the following sequels, as well as his own Puss in Boots feature in 2011. He has won numerous awards and nominations for his works in film, including three ALMA awards and three Golden Globe® nominations, among many others. He will next be seen starring in The 33 for Warner Bros, and Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups. Banderas is represented by Paradigm and Media Art Management. The actor won major critical acclaim on Broadway for his performance in Maury Yeston's musical Nine, based on the film 8½, playing the prime role. Banderas won both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a musical for his performance in Nine.

Machado is the Head of Playwriting in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at New York University's Tisch School of Arts, and has worked as a writer and producer on both the STARZ Original series "Magic City" and HBO's "Hung." He is the author of more than 40 plays, including "The Floating Island Plays," "Havana is Waiting and Other Plays," and "Worship." Machado also wrote and directed the film Exiles in New York, which screened at numerous film festivals, including the A.F.I. Film Festival and The Santa Barbara Film Festival. He is the recipient of the 2008 Raúl Juliá HOLA Founders Award and the Berrilla Kerr Grant 2001, among others. Machado is currently a member of the Actors Studio and The Ensemble Studio Theater. Machado is represented by CAA, Andrea Simon Entertainment and Morris Yorn.

About Starz

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2015, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.8 million subscribers, including 23.5 million at STARZ, and 33.3 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

eOne produces and distributes a diverse slate of award-winning, critically acclaimed programming across all genres, and has a proven track record in delivering successful long running series. Hit original shows from the company include the successful miniseries The Book of Negroes and Klondike, Welcome to Sweden, the half hour comedy series executive produced by siblings Amy and Greg Poehler, Hell on Wheels, Rogue, Nellyville, Mary, Bitten, Rookie Blue, Haven, and Saving Hope, as well as a number of highly successful series coming out of its output relationship with AMC and SundanceTV including The Walking Dead, Halt and Catch Fire, Turn and The Red Road.