Michael Keaton To Play Stan Hurley In AMERICAN ASSASSIN

CBS Films and Lionsgate  announced that Academy Award-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman, Spotlight) will star in the adaptation of Vince Flynn's massive bestseller AMERICAN ASSASSIN. Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Cuesta (Kill The Messenger, Homeland, L.I.E.) will direct the thriller from a screenplay by Stephen Schiff (The Americans, Ultimate Rush). Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, Deepwater Horizon, Red) and Nick Wechsler (The Road, Magic Mike) are producing the film.

Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Keaton) would be the most feared training officer in the CIA if more than a handful of people at the agency knew that he existed. As AMERICAN ASSASSIN begins, Deputy Director Irene Kennedy tasks Hurley with training Mitch Rapp, a black ops recruit devastated by the loss of his fiancée to a terrorist attack. As Rapp's training progresses, the pair is dispatched on a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent to stop a mysterious operative from starting World War III in the Middle East.

Published by Atria Books and in mass market paperback by Pocket Books, both imprints of Simon & Schuster, AMERICAN ASSASSIN is one of fourteen novels set in the world of counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp. Every single one has been a New York Times bestseller, the three most recent entries have been number one New York Times bestsellers and the series has sold nearly twenty million copies to date.

"Stan Hurley is one of the pillars of the Vince Flynn universe and a favorite character for millions of readers, so casting him was a daunting challenge," said Cuesta, who continued. "To have an actor as intelligent and gifted as Michael Keaton bring this beloved character to life is a thrill for everyone involved in AMERICAN ASSASSIN and a cause for celebration amongst 'Hurley' fans the world over."

Spotlight Arrives in March for Public Libraries

The riveting true story of the dedicated investigative team that blew the lid off a monumental cover up, Spotlight comes to Blu-ray combo pack and DVD for public libraries on March 22, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Academy Award nominee Tom McCarthy (Up, The Station Agent), this taut drama goes behind the scenes of one of the most notorious scandals in recent history as a small group of intrepid journalists take on a seemingly unbeatable opponent — and win. "A tour de force" (Variety), Spotlight on Blu-ray and DVD features an insightful "making-of" documentary and revealing conversations with the filmmakers.

"A masterpiece" according to Brian Truitt, USA Today, Spotlight is one of the most important and critically acclaimed films of the year, nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, the film was nominated for three Golden Globes, two SAG Awards, eight Critics Choice Awards and a total of nine Best Picture nominations.

Michael Keaton (Birdman), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) in his Academy Award nominated role and Rachel McAdams (Southpaw) in her Academy Award nominated role lead a critically acclaimed cast in this gripping story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that uncovered a scandal that rocked one of the world's oldest and most trusted institutions. Delving into allegations of child abuse within the local Catholic Archdiocese, a tenacious team of Boston Globe reporters exposes a decades-long cover-up that reaches the highest levels of Boston's religious, legal, and government establishments. "Brilliantly acted and flawlessly directed" (New York Post), Spotlight is a powerful drama-thriller the critics are calling "the All the President's Men of our time" (Los Angeles Times).