BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- "Hemlock Grove," a gripping tale of
murder, mystery and monsters set in a ravaged
Pennsylvania steel town, starring Famke Janssen and Bill
Skarsgard and produced by Gaumont International
Television, will be available for Netflix members to
watch instantly, beginning early in 2013.
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"Hemlock Grove" starts with the body of a young
girl, mangled and murdered in the shadow of the former
Godfrey steel mill. Some suspect an escapee from the
White Tower, a biotech facility owned by the former steel
magnates. Others believe the killer could be Peter, a
17-year-old Gypsy kid from the wrong side of the tracks,
who tells his classmates he's a werewolf. Or it could
be Roman (Skarsgard), the arrogant Godfrey scion, whose
sister Shelley is disturbingly deformed and whose mother,
Olivia (Janssen), the otherworldly beautiful and
controlling grand dame of Hemlock Grove.
As the crime goes unsolved and outlandish rumors mount,
Peter and Roman decide to find the killer themselves,
confronting unspeakable truths about themselves and
Hemlock Grove as the mystery unfolds.
"Eli Roth is a master of this genre and Brian
McGreevy's brilliant novel gives Roth a world where
he can create his magic," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix
Chief Content Officer. "'Hemlock
Grove' is a sly blend of J.D. Salinger and Mary
Shelley and will appeal to a broad base of fans
captivated by these rich characters and stunning
visuals."
"I've been waiting for years to dive into
television, and Eric Newman and I founded Arcade to do
elevated genre projects exactly like 'Hemlock
Grove'. Brian McGreevy's novel blew me
away, and the material lends itself perfectly to long
format storytelling. 'Hemlock Grove'
is smart, dark, complex, and at times terrifying,"
said Eli Roth.
He added: "What's most exciting to me is
creating the series for Netflix, which as a feature
filmmaker is like telling a story in a new
medium. Netflix as a platform is the perfect
hybrid of cinema, television, and social networking, with
the creative freedom to go as dark as the story
needs."
The 13 episode first season of "Hemlock Grove"
is Roth's first foray into serialized drama as a
director and executive producer. Roth created the Hostel
franchise, directing seven major motion pictures,
producing 13 and appearing in several hit films,
including a stand-out role as Sgt. Donny Donowitz in
Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds".
Janssen (Olivia Godfrey) is an actress, director and
screenwriter who played Dr. Jean Grey in the global
blockbuster "X-Men" trilogy and starred
alongside Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis in Woody
Allen's "Celebrity". Janssen can soon be
seen in "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters"
alongside Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton and in
"Taken 2" with Liam Neeson. Her debut film as a
director and screenwriter, "Bringing up Bobby",
starring Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman and Marcia Cross,
opens in the United States in October.
Skarsgard (Roman Godfrey) is an up and coming Swedish
actor, who will soon be seen alongside Keira Knightley
and Jude Law in director Joe Wright's
"Anna Karenina." Previously, Skarsgard has
played a wide range of roles in Swedish television and
independent films, including the critically-acclaimed
"Simon of the Oaks" directed by Lisa Ohlin.
"Hemlock Grove" is executive produced and
written by McGreevy, author of the FSG Originals novel,
and Lee Shipman. Other projects they have in development
include the Bram Stoker adaptation "Harker" for
Warner Brothers and Appian Way, the King Arthur epic
"Pendragon" for New Regency, and "Zorro
Reborn" for 20th Century Fox.
Also executive producing are Eric Newman, producer of
such films as "The Last Exorcism," "Dawn
of the Dead" and "Children of Men,"
Michael Connolly, co-producer of "How to Train Your
Dragon," and Mark Verheiden, co-executive producer
of "Battlestar Gallactica" and other shows.
"It is an honor to be working with Eli Roth, a
director whom I've admired for years, along with
Brian McGreevy & Lee Shipman and the team at Netflix on
this series," commented Gaumont International
Television chief executive officer Katie
O'Connell. "Netflix is the perfect
platform for this exhilarating reinvention of the gothic
mystery story. From day one, our mandate at
Gaumont International Television has been to the produce
high-quality drama programming for the U.S. and
international markets and 'Hemlock Grove'
certainly fits the bill."
About Netflix:
With more than 23 million streaming members in the United
States, Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom and
Ireland, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is the world's
leading internet subscription service for enjoying movies
and TV programs. For about US$7.99 a month, Netflix
members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV
programs streamed over the internet to PCs, Macs and TVs.
Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming
from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and
Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players,
internet-connected TVs, home theatre systems, digital
video recorders and internet video players; Apple iPhone,
iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV.
In all, more than 700 devices that stream from Netflix
are available. For additional information, visit www.netflix.com. Follow
Netflix on Facebook and Twitter.
About Gaumont International Television:
Gaumont International Television is the newly launched
production and distribution studio based in Los Angeles
and part of Gaumont, the legendary European-based motion
picture studio. Gaumont, formed in 1895, is one of the
main European production companies with a film
library holding over 900 titles. As an
independent studio, Gaumont International Television is
producing high-quality drama and comedy television
programming for the U.S. and international markets with a
number of projects currently in the works, including
"Hannibal" for NBC and "Hemlock
Grove" for Netflix.
SOURCE Netflix, Inc.
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