Lionsgate Bags Rights to Religion Doc With Bill Maher

SANTA MONICA, July 13: Lionsgate has acquired the
distribution rights to an untitled documentary about world religion featuring
political humorist and author Bill Maher and plans to release the film in U.S.
theaters in spring 2008.

The documentary will be directed by Larry Charles (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make
Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Curb
Your Enthusiasm). The film will mark
Charles' first feature project since the critically acclaimed film Borat. The project reunites Charles and Lionsgate CEO Jon
Feltheimer, who previously worked together when Feltheimer headed the Columbia
TriStar Television group and Charles served as writer, producer, supervising
producer and executive producer on the company's Emmy Award-winning hit series Mad
About You. Jonah Smith and Palmer West of
Thousand Words (A Scanner Darkly,
Requiem for a Dream) are
producing the documentary. CAA arranged financing for the film in 2006. Stuart
Ford of IM Global is handling international sales.

The documentary follows Maher (Real Time with Bill Maher,
Politically Incorrect) as he travels around
the globe interviewing people about God and religion.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be working with Larry
Charles and Bill Maher, two of the sharpest, funniest minds in show business,"
said Tom Ortenberg, Lionsgate’s president of theatrical films. "I can't
imagine a better team to tackle the subject of religion in a smart, inventive
and unpretentious way. We feel this film can play as broadly as a Michael Moore
film, and it's sure to be as provocative, informative and entertaining as any
documentary in recent memory. Certainly, the promo reel that the sales team
screened at Cannes generated enormous enthusiasm among acquisition executives
across the board. Of course, a movie that deals topically with religion is
bound to generate controversy, and that makes it a risky proposition. At
Lionsgate, we've dealt with that kind of challenge before, so we are very, very
happy to partner with Larry, Bill and Thousand Words to give this film the
release it deserves."