Amazon Prime Video and ITV Greenlight Original Dramatic Series "The Widow" Starring Kate Beckinsale

Amazon Prime Video and ITV Greenlight Original Dramatic Series "The Widow" Starring Kate Beckinsale
The series follows Georgia Wells (Beckinsale) who has cut herself off from her previous life and is no longer the woman she once was.

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[via press release from Amazon] Amazon Prime Video and ITV Greenlight Original Dramatic Series "The Widow" Starring Kate Beckinsale
Series, written by Harry and Jack Williams, will begin production this year and launch on Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories and ITV in the UK

SEATTLE - January 3, 2018 - (NASDAQ: AMZN) - Amazon Prime Video and ITV today announced it has greenlit The Widow, an eight-episode Prime Original and ITV series, starring Kate Beckinsale (The Aviator, Love & Friendship). Written and executive produced by Harry and Jack Williams (The Missing, Fleabag) and produced by Williams' Two Brothers Pictures, The Widow follows Georgia Wells (Beckinsale) who has cut herself off from her previous life and is no longer the woman she once was. After seeing her "late" husband on the news, she is pulled back to face the world and will stop at nothing until she gets the truth about her past. This emotionally gut-wrenching thriller will take Georgia into the depths of the African Congo where danger and revelation will greet her at every turn.

The Widow will be produced by Eliza Mellor (Liar, The Living and the Dead, Poldark), directed by Sam Donovan (Humans, Liar, Utopia) and Olly Blackburn (Donkey Punch, Glue), and distributed globally by all3media International. The series will commence production this month in South Africa, Wales and Rotterdam. The Widow will premiere on ITV in the UK and on Prime Video in the US and more than 200 countries and territories.

"We are thrilled to continue our existing relationship with Kate Beckinsale on the heels of her incredible performances in Amazon Studios' critically acclaimed films," said Brad Beale, Vice President, Worldwide TV Content Acquisition, Amazon Prime Video. "Harry and Jack Williams have created a powerful story, which will be brought to life by one of the world's most talented actresses, and we are excited to bring this thrilling series to Prime members around the world."
"I'm delighted to announce Kate Beckinsale's casting in The Widow," said ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill. "She is perfect for the role of Georgia in what is, as always, brilliant, compelling and surprising storytelling from Harry and Jack Williams. We're very pleased to have secured the series which is an ITV original commission and co-production with Amazon."

"Kate Beckinsale is a brilliantly talented actress and we're thrilled she's joining us on this journey - we couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for the role," added Harry and Jack Williams. "The Widow is our most ambitious and cinematic piece to date and we can't wait to bring the dark heart of the Congolese jungle to the screen."

Kate Beckinsale has proven to be one of the industry's most versatile and charismatic performers. Beckinsale recently wrapped production on Farming, the directorial debut from Nigerian-British writer-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, opposite Damson Idris and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. She most recently starred in the Marc Webb drama The Only Living Boy in New York opposite Jeff Bridges, Callum Turner, and Kiersey Clemons, which was released by Amazon Studios on August 11. Prior to that, she starred in Amazon Studios' comedy Love & Friendship, directed by Whit Stillman and based on Jane Austen's novel Lady Susan, for which she won the Evening Standard Award, the London Film Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for her performance. She is also known for her starring role in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.

Harry and Jack Williams began their writing partnership in 2007 with the BBC2 sitcom Roman's Empire, starring Mathew Horne and Chris O'Dowd. The show was subsequently piloted for American television, with Kelsey Grammer in the lead. For the UK they wrote and produced pilots and series including The Amazing Dermot, Bamboo, Full English and The Guardians (which they also directed). In 2014, Harry and Jack wrote and executive produced BBC1's Golden Globe and Emmy nominated drama The Missing. The series, which starred James Nesbitt, was also nominated for four BAFTAs, including Best Drama. Since setting up Two Brothers Pictures in 2014, Harry and Jack have produced shows for Amazon, HBO, AMC, BBC, ITV and Sky, including the award-winning hit comedy Fleabag.

The Widow will be available on Prime Video to stream and Prime members can also download the series to mobile devices for offline viewing at no additional cost to their membership. The series will be available in more than 200 countries and territories for Prime members to watch via the Prime Video app for popular smart TVs, Fire TV, Fire Tablets and Android and iOS phones and tablets. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free 30-day trial at amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.

About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:
· Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
· Amazon Channels: Over 140 channel subscriptions that Prime members can add to their membership, including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more. To view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
· Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers.
· Instant Access: Customers can instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
· Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content.

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About ITV
ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster and the largest commercial television network in the UK. It is the home of popular television from the biggest entertainment events, to original drama, major sport, landmark factual series and independent news. It operates a family of channels including ITV, ITVBe, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 and CITV, which are broadcast free-to-air, as well as the pay channel ITV Encore. ITV is also focused on delivering its programming via the ITV Hub, mobile devices, video on demand and third party platforms. ITV Studios is a global production business, creating and selling programmes and formats from offices in the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, the Nordics and the Netherlands. It is the largest and most successful commercial production company in the UK, the largest independent non-scripted indie in the US and ITV Studios Global Entertainment is a leading international distribution business. Global demand for high-quality content from both broadcasters and platform owners remains strong. Capitalising on this demand, ITV continues to strengthen its position as the UK's largest commercial production company, as well as creating an increasingly international production business with bases in America, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the Nordics and Australia. Growing a scaled international content business in the key genres that travel is central to ITV's strategy as an integrated producer broadcaster. As the company creates, owns and manages more content, its channels and digital services provide a platform to showcase its programmes before distributing them across multiple platforms in the UK and internationally.

About all3media international
all3media international distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world. The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience - consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and we have been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of our growth - twice. Our catalogue contains over 8,500 hours of content across all genres, with a focus on drama, comedy, factual, entertainment and formats. As well as Britain's top-selling series Midsomer Murders, our lead dramas include National Treasure, The Missing, Clique, Safe House, Indian Summers, Liar and Hinterland. Our contemporary comedy slate features Fleabag and GameFace. Factual, entertainment and format bestsellers include Gogglebox, Undercover Boss, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The Gadget Show and The Cube. As part of the UK's leading multi-label studio we partner with UK and international producers - including our own studios - in developing, financing and delivering content and formats.

AMC Highlights from 4/8-10

***TUNE-IN ALERT***

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

AMC’S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED DRAMA SERIES “THE SON” STARRING PIERCE BROSNAN DEBUTS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 8^TH AT 9:00PM ET/PT

WITH A TWO-HOUR PREMIERE

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

THE WIDOW FACES OFF WITH DEADLY ENEMIES ON AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF AMC’S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED MARTIAL ARTS DRAMA “INTO THE BADLANDS” ON SUNDAY, APRIL 9^TH AT 10:00PM ET/PT

AMC’S NEWEST SERIES “TALKING WITH CHRIS HARDWICK” DEBUTS

AT 11:00PM ET/PT FEATURING GUEST ELIJAH WOOD

THEN, SEASON SIX OF AMC’S “COMIC BOOK MEN” CONTINUES

WITH AN ALL-NEW EPISODE AT 12:00AM ET/PT FEATURING MARKY RAMONE

MONDAY, APRIL 10

THE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED SEASON THREE PREMIERE OF

AMC’S “BETTER CALL SAUL” DEBUTS MONDAY, APRIL 10^TH AT 10:00PM ET/PT

THEN, A SPECIAL EDITION OF “TALKING SAUL” AFTER SHOW AIRS AT 11:10PM ET/PT FEATURING SERIES CREATORS AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, VINCE GILLIGAN AND PETER GOULD AND CAST MEMBERS RHEA SEEHORN AND JONATHAN BANKS

Henry Garrett as Pete McCullough and Pierce Brosnan as Eli McCullough

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – AMC’s highly-anticipated original scripted drama series “The Son” debuts Saturday, April 8^th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on both AMC and SundanceTV with a two-hour premiere featuring back-to-back episodes. The series is based on Philipp Meyer’s New York Times best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel of the same name, and stars Pierce Brosnan. Consisting of ten one-hour episodes, “The Son” traces the transformation of Eli McCullough (Brosnan) from good-natured innocent to calculating killer.  He loses everything on the wild frontier, setting him on the path to building a ranching-and-oil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. The series deftly explores how Eli’s ruthlessness and quest for power triggers consequences that span generations, as the McCullough’s rise to become one the most powerful family dynasties in Texas.

In the premiere episode, “First Son of Texas,” directed by Tom Harper and written by Philipp Meyer, Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman, in 1849 young Eli (Jacob Lofland) must survive a brutal frontier Comanche attack in 1849 then lead his family's empire through difficult times in 1915. In the second episode, “The Plum Tree,” directed by Kevin Dowling and written by Daniel C. Connolly, in 1849 young Eli must learn how to live among the Comanches. In 1915, Eli and Pete (Henry Garrett) clash over how to respond to an unexpected attack on their home.

“The Son” is executive produced by showrunner Kevin Murphy (“Defiance”), co-creators Philipp Meyer, Brian McGreevy (“Hemlock Grove”) and Lee Shipman (“Hemlock Grove”), director Tom Harper (“War & Peace,” “Peaky Blinders”) and Sonar Entertainment’s Jenna Santoianni and Tom Lesinski. In addition to Brosnan, cast members include Jacob Lofland (“Justified,” “Texas Rising,” Maze Runner), Henry Garrett (Beauty and the Beast, “Poldark”), Paola Nunez (“Amor en Custodia”), Carlos Bardem (Assassin’s Creed), Zahn McClarnon (“Fargo”), Jess Weixler (“The Good Wife”), David Wilson Barnes (Capote, The Bourne Legacy), Sydney Lucas (Fun Home), James Parks (The Hateful Eight, “Deadwood”) and Elizabeth Frances (“Love”).    

Emily Beecham as The Widow

Season two of AMC’s martial arts drama, “Into the Badlands,” continues with an all new episode on Sunday, April 9^th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The season two premiere was cable’s #1 returning show for 2017 for adults 25-54, delivering 4.5 million total viewers, 2.7 million adults 25-54 and 2.4 million adults 18-49 in Nielsen live+3 ratings. Catch up on the second season with a mini marathon of season two beginning Sunday, April 9^th at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT leading into the all-new episode. On the new episode, “Palm of the Iron Fox,” the Widow's fight for power puts her in an epic showdown with her enemies who have joined forces against her, while an old threat resurfaces.

Season two of the martial arts drama finds Sunny (Daniel Wu) and M.K. (Aramis Knight) separated and scattered to the wind, each imprisoned in unlikely places.  While M.K. struggles to control his powers, Sunny is determined to fight his way back into the Badlands to find his family or die trying.  On their journey, Clipper and Colt are assisted by new allies whose motivations may be anything but pure. Meanwhile, The Widow (Emily Beecham) continues to consolidate power against the other Barons, while a dark and mysterious threat prepares to exact revenge on them all.  Alliances are struck, friendships betrayed, and by season's end, Sunny and M.K.'s lives will be forever altered.

“Into the Badlands” was created by showrunners/executive producers/writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and executive produced by Oscar®-nominated producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg, director David Dobkin, fight director Stephen Fung and Daniel Wu.  The series stars Wu (Tai Chi Zero) as Sunny; Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) as Quinn;  Aramis Knight (The Dark Knight Rises) as M.K.;  Oliver Stark (“Luther”) as Ryder; Emily Beecham (28 Weeks Later) as The Widow; Orla Brady (“Dr. Who,” “Fringe”) as Lydia; Sarah Bolger (“Once Upon a Time,” “The Tudors”) as Jade; Ally Ioannides (“Parenthood”) as Tilda;  Madeleine Mantock (Edge of Tomorrow) as Veil; Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) as Waldo and Nick Frost as Bajie (Shaun of the Dead).

Elijah Wood and Chris Hardwick

AMC’s newest series, “Talking with Chris Hardwick,” debuts on Sunday, April 9^th at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT featuring Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The series, produced by Embassy Row, builds on the success of “Talking Dead,” the #1 talk show on television and a pioneer of the after show format. Each 60-minute episode features an in-depth conversation between Hardwick and a single guest or cast. While “Talking Dead” focuses exclusively on “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead,” episodes of “Talking with Chris Hardwick” feature a wide breadth of guests and highlight Hardwick’s singularly irreverent and authentic take on today’s pop culture landscape.

Compared with a typical 5 or 10-minute talk show interview, “Talking with Chris Hardwick” leverages the host’s gift for deep conversation, on display in his popular podcast. The show’s strong social media presence and live audience interactivity gives fans a new destination to celebrate their favorite pop culture icons. Additional guests this season include: Michelle Monaghan, Charlie Hunnam, Connie Britton, Justin Theroux, Bryan Cranston, Damon Lindelof, Neil deGrasse Tyson and the cast of “Silicon Valley.” In addition to hosting duties, Hardwick serves as executive producer on the series alongside Michael Davies, Brandon Monk, Jen Patton, and Brillstein Entertainment Partners’ Alex Murray.

Robert Bruce and Marky Ramone

Immediately following the premiere of “Talking with Chris Hardwick,” Season six of “Comic Book Men” continues with an all new episode at 12:00 a.m. ET/PT. On “Marky Ramone-Bot” Ramones drummer Marky Ramone shows off his artwork and bonds with Walt over old school robots. A King Kong item bring the boys back to 1975.

In its sixth season, AMC’s popular unscripted series “Comic Book Men” takes another dive into world of geekdom by following the antics in and around master fanboy Kevin Smith’s New Jersey comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. Leading the team behind the shop’s counter are Walt, Bryan, Michael and Ming, who geek out over mind-blowing pop culture artifacts and the legends behind them. Special guests this season include Cassandra Peterson, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark; The Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner; and makeup artist extraordinaire Robert Kurtzman. Whether it’s buying and selling memorabilia or embarking on wild adventures away from the store, The Stash cast shares all the juicy details with Kevin during their hilarious podcast, which is woven throughout the series.

Michael McKean as Chuck McGill and Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill

“Better Call Saul” returns for its third season on Monday, April 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. A marathon of season two will air beginning Monday, April 10 at 11:20 a.m. ET/PT leading into the season three premiere. On the premiere episode, “Mabel,” Jimmy helps Chuck regain his confidence, but Chuck makes clear to his brother that he hasn’t forgiven Jimmy for his trespasses.  After discovering an ominous note, Mike obsesses over the identity of a mysterious stranger who has been surveilling him.  Kim and Jimmy clash over the boundaries of their shared workspace.

A prequel to the award-winning series “Breaking Bad,” the series follows down-on-his-luck Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) as he navigates the moral dilemmas of the legal world while trying to step out of his older brother’s shadow and make a name for himself.  Saul‘s acclaimed second season ended with a pair of cliffhangers: Determined to prevent his brother from practicing law, Chuck (Michael McKean) staged an elaborate con, secretly recording Jimmy’s confession to a felony.  When Mike (Jonathan Banks) set his sights on sociopathic cartel boss Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), an ominous intervention stopped him from pulling the trigger, raising questions as to what other dangerous players may be in the game.

As the new season begins, the repercussions of Chuck’s scheme test Jimmy and Kim’s (Rhea Seehorn) fledgling law practices – and their romance – as never before. This imminent existential threat presses Jimmy’s faltering moral compass to the limit.  Meanwhile, Mike searches for a mysterious adversary who seems to know almost everything about his business. As the season progresses, new characters are introduced and backstories are further illuminated with meaningful nods to the Breaking Bad universe.

Immediately following the season three premiere episode, AMC will air a special edition of the “Talking” after show, hosted by Chris Hardwick at 11:10 p.m. ET/PT, featuring series creators and executive producers, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and cast members Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler) and Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut).

“Talking Saul” is produced by Embassy Row with executive producers Michael Davies, Chris Hardwick, Jen Patton, Brandon Monk and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. 

About AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with “Mad Men” in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before “Breaking Bad” won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series “The Walking Dead” is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last five years.  AMC’s other current original drama series include “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Preacher,” and the forthcoming “The Son,” “The Terror,” “Lodge 49,” “Loaded” and “McMafia.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men,” “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv.