GAUMONT INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION
TO PRODUCE NEW SERIES BASED ON ICONIC CHARACTER 'BARBARELLA'

Award-winning Nicolas Refn to direct and executive produce

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21, 2012 - Gaumont International Television, the production and distribution studio based in Los Angeles and part of the legendary European-based motion picture studio Gaumont, announced today that the company is teaming with Drive helmer Nicolas Refn to bring the iconic character 'Barbarella' to the small screen. The series will be based on the character created by Jean-Claude Forest and made famous in the 1968 film of the same name staring Jane Fonda. Nicolas Refn will direct and executive produce the series alongside Martha DeLaurentiis whose production entity The DeLaurentiis Company produced the original movie. Co-Executive Producers are Julien Forest & Jean-Marc Lofficier. The announcement was made today by Katie O'Connell, CEO for Gaumont International Television.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to reinvent 'Barbarella' with my friends at Gaumont and Martha De Laurentiis," said Refn. "And I look forward to bringing this unique character to life for a new generation of fans as I believe she is one of the ultimate counter-cultural characters."

"I love Nicolas Refn," said Martha De Laurentiis, "and feel he has the perfect vision to elevate such an iconic character like 'Barbarella' and bring her to new audiences worldwide." Added De Laurentiis who is also working with Gaumont on the NBC series Hannibal, "I feel lightning strikes twice with a partnership with Gaumont on two huge franchise projects."

"Barbarella was originally a French graphic novel by Jean-Claude Forest which spawned the cult favorite movie of the same name," commented O'Connell. "We are thrilled to have secured the rights from the Forest estate and are thrilled to be pairing the bold visceral style of Nicolas Refn with the pop culture icon Barbarella."

Gaumont International Television is currently producing the Bryan Fuller series Hannibal starring Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen for NBC, as well as the Eli Roth series Hemlock Grove starring Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgard for Netflix.

Nicolas Refn is repped by WME, Anonymous Content and Independent Talent Group and Martha DeLaurentiis is repped by CAA and the Jean-Claude Forest Estate is repped by Hollywood Comics.


About Nicolas Refn
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Nicolas Winding Refn is an award-winning writer, director and producer. At only 24, Nicolas had written and directed the extremely violent and uncompromising, Pusher. The film became a cult phenomenon and won him instant international critical acclaim in 1996. After Pusher, Nicolas wrote, produced, and directed his next film, Bleeder, followed by Fear X (2003) was his first foray into English language films. Following Fear X, Refn returned to his native Denmark to write, direct and produce Pusher II (2004) and Pusher III (2005), as a result of his first movie's growing cult following. In 2006, Refn wrote and directed Bronson, an ultra-violent, surreal, escapist film following the real life landmarks and self-entrapment of Britain's most notorious criminal, Michael Peterson. Refn next wrote, directed and produced Valhalla Rising, starring his long time collaborator, Mads Mikkelsen. Nicolas' most recent film, Drive, has been his most successful to date. For his work in Drive, Refn has received numerous accolades and more than a dozen nominations and awards from festivals worldwide. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or award and won in the category for Best Director. Currently, Refn is in post-production for a film he wrote, produced, and directed called, Only God Forgives, staring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas and produced by Gaumont.

About Martha De Laurentiis
Martha De Laurentiis is a veteran of the film industry of over thirty years, working alongside her late husband, Dino De Laurentiis, and producing over 40 films including Hannibal, Red Dragon and U-571. Her current projects include the sci-fi original feature The 7th Day, the MacGyver reboot, and the Hannibal television series in partnership with Gaumont/NBC Universal starring Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen.

About JEAN-CLAUDE FOREST
Jean-Claude Forest was born in 1930 in a Paris suburb and graduated from the Paris School of Design. He began working as an illustrator in the early 1950s, contributing covers to many French newspapers and magazines, including France-Soir. During that period, he also became the cover artist for a leading French science-fiction imprint. Forest became famous when he created Barbarella in 1962 for V-Magazine, soon translated in a dozen countries and adapted into a film starring Jane Fonda. Forest's career encompassed several other major works such as Hypocrite, Mysterious Planet, and Les Naufragés du Temps. In recognition of his talent, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the 1984 Angouleme Comics Festival and honored by the issuance of a French postage stamp in 1989. Forest passed away in Paris on December 29, 1998, at age 68.

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.