"TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL" EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MARTHA WILLIAMSON BEGINS A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN TO TELEVISION WITH "DEAD LETTERS," (WORKING TITLE) A HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE OF THE WEEK AND POTENTIAL NEW PRIMETIME SERIES
"Ugly Betty's" Eric Mabius and "The Kennedys" Kristin Booth Star
In The Comedic Drama;
Production Has Begun in Vancouver for World Premiere October 12
Hallmark Channel announces that "Touched By An Angel" Executive Producer, Martha Williamson begins a highly anticipated return to television with "Dead Letters," a Hallmark Channel Original Movie of the Week that's targeted to become a primetime series. "Dead Letters" tells the inspiring story of a group of postal detectives whose mission is to deliver letters and packages from the past, which arrive miraculously when they are needed most. The two-hour original movie stars Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty," "Outcasts," "Cruel Intentions") as leader of the group, Oliver, and Kristin Booth ("The Kennedys," "The Newsroom," "Banner 4th of July") as newcomer to the Dead Letter Office, Shane. "Dead Letters" will have its World Premiere on Hallmark Channel, Saturday, October 12 at 9p.m. ET/PT, 8C. If greenlit, "Dead Letters" would air on Hallmark Channel in 2014.
"Dead Letters," introduces a dedicated, quartet of civil servants in the Dead Letter Office of the U.S. Postal System who transform themselves into an elite team of lost-mail detectives. Their determination to deliver the seemingly undeliverable takes them out of the post office into an unpredictable world where letters and packages from the past save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but always miraculously on time. The intrepid team is led by the charming and handsome, but idiosyncratic, Oliver (Mabius) who still considers the stamped and mailed letter to be the gold standard of human communication. His hapless team of lost letter experts, free-spirited Rita (Crystal Lowe, "Smallville") and oddly-intuitive Norman (Geoff Gustafson, "Primeval: New World"), are thrown for a loop when a beautiful, no-nonsense technophile named Shane (Booth) is mistakenly transferred to their inner sanctum. Shane inspires the lovable crew to step up in a risky and unorthodox way, beginning with a chance to clear the name of a wrongfully accused man and reconnect him with the love of his life.
Martha Williamson made television history when her CBS series "Touched By An Angel" set a new standard for an inspirational family drama when it grew to a weekly audience of 25 million viewers during its initial nine year run. As Executive Producer and Head Writer of the ground-breaking series, she was the visionary who guided the series into previously uncharted territory with her unique brand of storytelling that produced more than strong ratings; it changed lives. She went on to seal her place in history when she became the first woman to solely executive produce two one-hours simultaneously with "Promised Land," which aired for three years on CBS. Her work has been inducted into the Television and Radio Hall of Fame and honored with numerous awards, including the Edward R. Murray Responsibility in Television Award, the Templeton Prize Epiphany Award and nine Emmy(R) nominations.
"Dead Letters" is a Special Delivery TeleProductions. Executive Producers are Martha Williamson, Joel S. Rice ("Banner 4th of July"), Michael Prupas ("The Kennedys") and Jesse Prupas ("Cyberbully"). Harvey Kahn ("Endgame") is the producer. Scott Smith ("Call Me Fitz," "This is Wonderland") directs from a script written by Martha Williamson. Muse Distribution International is handling worldwide distribution.
ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL
Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library.
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ABOUT MUSE DISTRIBUTION INTERNATIONAL
Muse Distribution International is the sales arm of Muse Entertainment Enterprises, delivering television programming and feature films to broadcasters, cable and pay networks and to theatrical, VOD, video and DVD distributors around the world. Muse Distribution has more than 300 hours of top quality entertainment for sale; including primetime event programming, true-life dramas, captivating movies and mini series, series for families and for children as well as thought-provoking documentaries. Muse Entertainment Enterprises is a leading film and television producer known internationally for its well-crafted and high-quality productions. Since its founding in 1998 by Michael Prupas who serves as the company's President and CEO, Muse Entertainment has produced, co-produced and provided production services on more than 170 TV movies and mini-series, television series and feature films and has won over 100 awards and received over 300 award nominations, including 21 Emmy Award nominations and 5 Emmy Awards! Muse Entertainment Enterprises USA, the company's Los Angeles operation, has reached deeply into the U.S. television market since starting up in 2008. It has realized several Muse productions including television series and movies-of-the-week, as well as numerous development deals with American pay, cable and free networks. The company's head office and its Quebec production centre are in Montreal. Muse also maintains development and production operations in Toronto and Los Angeles. For more information please visit www.muse.ca
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