Sopranos Star in Production Deal with HBO

LOS ANGELES, August 21: James Gandolfini, the three-time
Emmy-winning star of The Sopranos, is
launching his own production venture and has signed an exclusive three-year
producing deal with HBO.

The agreement marks the first overall production deal for
Gandolfini, who, along with his producing partner Alex Ryan—a former
Paramount executive—is simultaneously launching Attaboy Films. Gandolfini
will develop and produce original television programming for HBO and will also
have a first-look deal for feature projects at Picturehouse, HBO's specialty
film distribution arm.

“The Sopranos is a
landmark in TV, and the gifted James Gandolfini is one of the reasons for the
show's remarkable success," noted Chris Albrecht, the chairman and CEO of
HBO. "I'm delighted that he will continue to work with the network after
the end of the series."

Gandolfini and Ryan have spent the past year developing Hemingway, a biopic written by Barbara Turner, with Gandolfini
playing the title role in the film. The drama is about the tempestuous romance
between Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. The project is
expected to continue development under Attaboy's new deal, which also includes
a commitment to two pilot scripts.

Gandolfini and Ryan are also developing a documentary with
HBO Documentary Films, tentatively titled Occupation Iraq, about soldiers in Iraq.