SciFi Channel Press Release # 6

Business Wire
April 2, 2002, Tuesday 01:01 PM Eastern Time
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENTWIRE

DISTRIBUTION: Entertainment Editors

LENGTH: 1311 words

HEADLINE: SCI FI Announces Casting On 6-Hour 'Frank Herbert's Children of Dune' Epic Miniseries; Academy Award-winning Susan Sarandon to Join Ensemble Cast

DATELINE: NEW YORK, April 2, 2002

BODY:
SCI FI has announced the casting for the next six-hour miniseries based on Frank Herbert's Dune novels, Frank  Herbert's Children of Dune. This epic adaptation will once again feature an ensemble cast, including returning players Julie Cox as Princess Irulan, Barbara Kodetova as Chani, Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen, P.H. Moriarty as Gurney  Halleck and Alec Newman as Paul Atreides. New additions to the cast include Alice Krige (Six Feet Under, Star Trek 8) as Lady Jessica, Edward Atterton as Duncan Idaho, Steven Berkoff (Atilla, Octopussy) as Stilgar, Jessica Brooks as  Ghanima, Daniela Lunkewitz as Alia and James McAvoy (Band of Brothers) as Leto II. Frank Herbert's Children of Dune is scheduled to begin production on April 3 in Prague with a four-month shooting schedule - and is slated to air in 2003 on SCI FI.

Joining the ensemble cast is Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon in the role of Wensicia, a ruthless princess eager to restore her deposed family to rule the Universe. Sarandon's film credits include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pretty Baby, Atlantic City, The Witches of Eastwick, A Dry White Season and Bull Durham, which earned Sarandon her first Academy Award nomination. She received additional Best Actress Oscar nominations for Thelma & Louise, Lorenzo's Oil, and The Client before winning for her role as Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking. Frank Herbert's Children of Dune is based on Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, the second and third novels in his award-winning, six-volume Dune saga. The project marks the first film or television adaptation of these novels. Children of Dune has been adapted for the screen by John Harrison (Frank Herbert's Dune), with Richard P. Rubinstein (Frank Herbert's Dune, The Stand) back on board as executive producer. David Kappes (Frank Herbert's Dune, Anne Frank) will return as  producer. Greg Yaitanes (Double Tap, The Invisible Man, Going to California) will direct and Mike Messina will associate produce.

Academy Award-winner Theodore Pistek (Amadeus) returns as costume designer, while Ernest Farino (From the Earth to the Moon) resumes his role as visual effects supervisor following his Emmy winning work production designer Ondrej
Nekvasil (Anne Frank) and Poland" Golden Frog winning cinematographer Arthur Reinhart (Wrony).

The new miniseries continues the saga of the Atreides dynasty. Under Paul Muad'dib's rule as Emperor, the planet Dune has enjoyed a renaissance. However, the revolution Paul has inspired has transformed into a brutal jihad and a conspiracy threatens to rob Paul of his throne and his life. The future of freedom rests in the hands of Paul's heirs, specifically his son, Leto II, who becomes a force for massive change. In the end, Leto must decide whether or not to sacrifice his own humanity for the sake of humanity itself.

SCI FI's premiere of the epic miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune virtually doubled all previous viewership records for the Channel with a remarkable 4.4 rating (2,917,000 HHs) in December 2000. In addition to being the most-watched program in the history of the Channel, the six-hour epic earned a place among the top 10 of all original basic cable miniseries in the past five years. Frank Herbert's Dune also earned two Emmys in the fall of 2001 for its Outstanding Cinematography and Special Effects.

Children of Dune is a New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc. production, in association with Blixa Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG and Touchstone Television Productions, LLC. New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc., is a New York
City based developer and producer of theatrical feature films and TV programming.

On December 17, USA Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAI) and Vivendi Universal announced the creation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), a joint venture that combines the assets of the USA Entertainment Group, including
SCI FI Channel, and the Universal Studios Group.  SCI FI Channel, owned and operated by USA Cable, a division of USA Networks, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: USAI) Entertainment Group, transmits fantastic images to 78 million human homes. Launched in 1992, SCI FI features a continuous stream of cinematic hits, new and original series, and special events, as well as classic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror programming. Check out SCIFI.COM(R), the SCI FI Channel's award-winning Web site, at www.scifi.com.

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