Power, Prodigy, Cipango Cast Kilmer and Dorff in TV Mini-Series

LONDON, October 12:
International television producer-distributor Power, along with Prodigy
Pictures and Cipango, has cast American movie stars Val Kilmer and Stephen
Dorff in XIII: The Conspiracy,
a new TV action mini-series slated for production in November 2007.

Based on the 1984
Franco-Belgian cult comic book series written by Jean Van Hamme and drawn by
William Vance that was later adapted into a video game, XIII: The Conspiracy is written by David Wolkove and Philippe Lyon and
directed by Duane Clark (Cape Wrath,
CSI). Power founder and CEO
Justin Bodle and Prodigy Pictures founder Jay Firestone will serve as executive
producers. Thomas Anargyros and Edouard de Vesinne will be producers for the
French production company Cipango.

The two-part series opens
with the assassination of the first female U.S. president, Sally Sheridan, who
is shot dead by a sniper during her Independence Day speech. Three months
later, with the case still unsolved, a young man (Stephen Dorff) with the
tattoo “XIII” on his neck, washes up on a beach suffering from amnesia. Elite
special ops forces and a conspirator’s own security agency launch a hunt for
the mysterious man, and a story of lost identity, government conspiracy and
action unfolds.

XIII: The Conspiracy is Power’s first venture with Prodigy Pictures and
Cipango. The other production partners are Canal Plus and M6.

“With its stellar
theatrical cast and an action-packed, compelling storyline, XIII is synonymous with the kind of international event
television that Power is now closely associated,” said Power’s CEO, Justin
Bodle. “I am delighted that Power, together with our production partners, is
able to bring to global television screens for the first time a story which has
already achieved cult status in other formats.”

“Prodigy and Cipango have
been developing this project for a number of years,” added Prodigy’s founder,
Jay Firestone. “We are excited about Power’s involvement and help in bringing
this project to fruition.”

Producer Edouard de
Vesinne commented: “XIII is the
most successful cult novel in France and French-speaking countries for 20
years, and the cinema adaptation rights have been continually optioned for more
than 10 years by prestigious international producers. This is why we are both proud
and thrilled to be going into production with a terrific script, a terrific
director and a terrific cast. Working with leading talent was a necessary
condition of bringing to life the character created by Jean Van Hamme and
William Vance, given the incredibly high level of expectation and awareness in
France surrounding XIII.”