``Red Planet,'' Starring Val Kilmer, Carrie- Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker and Terence Stamp, Begins Production.

BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1999--

Mars Production Pty. Ltd. Production to Be Distributed by

Warner Bros. and, in Select Territories, by Village Roadshow

Principal photography began Aug. 30, 1999, on "Red Planet," a psychological adventure-drama starring Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker and Terence Stamp.

The announcement was made Friday by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, president of Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Bruce Berman, Village Roadshow chairman and chief executive officer, whose companies will distribute the completed film.

"Red Planet" is directed by Antony Hoffman and produced by Mark Canton, Berman and Jorge Saralegui. It is executive-produced by Charlie Schlissel, Andrew Mason and Chuck Pfarrer, and written by Pfarrer and Jonathan Lemkin.

Set in the near future, "Red Planet" follows a team of American astronauts making the first manned expedition to Mars. Earth has become a dying planet, and a new colony on Mars is now humanity's only hope.

The astronauts, each a specialist in a different field, struggle to overcome the differences of their personalities, backgrounds and ideologies.

When their equipment suffers life-threatening damage and the crew must depend on one another for survival on the hostile surface of Mars, their doubts, fears and questions about God, man's destiny and the irrefutable nature of the universe become defining elements in their fates.

Principal photography will take place in Australia and Jordan. The Mars Production Pty. Ltd. production will be distributed by Warner Bros. and, in select territories, by Village Roadshow.

Kilmer was most recently seen in Irwin Winkler's "At First Sight" and heard as the voice of Moses in "Prince of Egypt." Kilmer starred in "The Saint," "Batman Forever" (as billionaire Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman), "The Doors" (as Jim Morrison) and "True Romance" (as Elvis Presley) and played the title role in "Billy the Kid." He also starred with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in "Heat" and appeared opposite Marlon Brando in "The Island of Dr. Moreau."

Kilmer made his film debut in "Top Secret," followed by "Real Genius," "Top Gun," "Willow," "Thunderheart" and "Wings of Courage." On television, he received a CableACE Award nomination for his acclaimed work in the HBO telefeature "The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains."

Moss' recent role in the Wachowski brothers' international smash-hit film "The Matrix" has landed her in the Hollywood spotlight. Moss recently completed production on the mobster comedy "The Crew" for Barry Sonnenfeld and Barry Josephson, and will next star opposite Guy Pearce in the independent thriller "Memento."

Moss has appeared in a number of television series, including "Models Inc.," and in 1996 she guest-starred in "Due South," for which she received a nomination for the Gemini Award. Her feature-film credits include starring roles in "Sabotage" and "The Secret Life of Algernon."

Sizemore most recently starred in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning "Saving Private Ryan" and will next be seen in Martin Scorsese's "Bringing Out the Dead" opposite Nicolas Cage. Sizemore recently completed a starring role in Ron Shelton's "Play It to the Bone" (along with Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas) and in the HBO telefeature "Witness Protection."

Sizemore's additional feature credits include both Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Natural Born Killers," "The Relic," "Heat," "Devil in a Blue Dress," "Strange Days," "Heart and Souls," "True Romance," "Wyatt Earp," "Passenger 57," "Watch It," "The Florentine," "The Match" and "Guilty by Suspicion." He also starred as Mafia figure John Gotti in NBC's highly successful miniseries "Witness to the Mob."

After starring in several television projects and feature films, Emmy-nominated actor Bratt came to national attention as Detective Rey Curtis on the long-running and award-winning series "Law & Order." Bratt's upcoming motion-picture projects include John Schlesinger's "The Next Best Thing" opposite Madonna and Rupert Everett, and "The Last Producer," in which he stars with Burt Reynolds.

Bratt's feature-film credits include "Follow Me Home" (on which he served as producer), "Clear and Present Danger," "The River Wild," "Demolition Man," "Bound by Honor," "One Good Cop," "Bright Angel" and "Chains of Gold." He also starred in the Showtime telefeature "Woman Undone"; the series "Nasty Boys," "Knightwatch" and "Juarez"; the miniseries "James Michener's Texas"; and the telefeature "Gladiator School."

Australian-born Baker was most recently seen in the acclaimed film "L.A. Confidential" and will next be seen in the feature "Sunset Strip" opposite Anna Friel, Jared Leto and Nick Stahl. Baker will also be seen in Ang Lee's Civil War ensemble drama "Ride With the Devil" (slated for the 1999 Deauville Film Festival and as a gala presentation at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival).

His other film credits include "Judas Kiss," "Restaurant" and "Love From Ground Zero." Baker's television credits include the lead role in the CBS pilot "The Last Best Place" and "Naked: The Blind Side Breakaway" and a guest lead role in "Sweat."

Stamp made his motion-picture debut in Peter Ustinov's screen version of Melville's "Billy Bud"; Stamp's work in the title role earned him an Academy Award nomination and international attention.

He followed that by collaborating with some of Hollywood's finest filmmakers, on William Wyler's "The Collector," Joseph Losey's "Modesty Blaise," John Schlesinger's "Far From the Madding Crowd," Ken Loach's "Poor Cow," Federico Fellini's "Spirits of the Dead" and Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Theorema."

His subsequent film credits include "The Mind of Mr. Soames," "Superman" and "Superman II," "Meetings With Remarkable Men," "The Hit," "Link," "Legal Eagles," "The Sicilian," "Wall Street," "Prince of Shadows" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

Stamp was most recently seen in George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" and stars in Steven Soderbergh's "The Limey," which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Hoffman attended the American Film Institute and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles, becoming a lauded television commercial director whose work on the Budweiser spot "Clydesdales" won him international acclaim. In 1996, he won the Cannes Gold Lion; in New York, he won an AICP Cinematography Award and two Clios, for Direction and Sound Design.

Hoffman has worked on campaigns for such products as Miller Genuine Draft, Boeing, American Airlines, MCI, Marlboro, Michelin and Nike. "Red Planet" marks Hoffman's feature-film directing debut.

Canton has been a pre-eminent force in the entertainment industry over the past two decades. Most recently, his production entity, The Canton Co., has located at Warner Bros., where Canton began his career as a studio executive, moving from vice president of production to president of Worldwide Theatrical Production. While at Warner Bros., Canton created two major motion-picture franchises, the "Batman" and "Lethal Weapon" series.

From 1990 to 1996, Canton served as a top executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), most recently as chairman of Columbia-TriStar. Among the productions he green-lit and supervised are "Jerry Maguire," "My Best Friend's Wedding," "Men in Black" and "Air Force One." In addition, Canton initiated the Sony hit films "As Good as It Gets," "Godzilla" and "Zorro."

During 1997, the studio broke all box-office records, earning $2.4 billion from pictures green-lit by Canton.

Canton is currently in production on the WB television series "Jack & Jill" and is in advanced development on six feature films and several other television series.

Berman joined the production department of Warner Bros., rising through the ranks of executives to become president of Worldwide Theatrical Production.

Under his aegis, the studio produced and distributed such titles as the Oscar-winning "Driving Miss Daisy," as well as "GoodFellas," "Presumed Innocent," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Batman Forever," "Malcolm X," "The Bodyguard," "JFK," "The Fugitive," "Dave," "A Time to Kill" and "Twister."

In 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, the Warner Bros.-based independent production company, which was later acquired by Village Roadshow Pictures. Village Roadshow Pictures, where Berman now holds the post of chairman and chief executive officer, currently has 25 projects in various stages of development at Warner Bros.

Most recently, Berman executive-produced "Deep Blue Sea," "The Matrix," "Analyze This" and "Practical Magic"; over the coming year, he will executive-produce the upcoming "Three Kings," "Three to Tango" and "Gossip" through Village Roadshow's relationship with Warner Bros.

Saralegui segued from Twentieth Century Fox to Warner Bros. as an independent producer in January 1998. After a career as a novelist in San Francisco, Saralegui joined Fox as a reader in 1989, quickly becoming a creative executive and moving through the ranks, eventually reaching the position of executive vice president of Production.

Among the films he oversaw during his tenure at Fox are "Speed," "Independence Day," "Broken Arrow," "Die Hard With a Vengeance" and "Alien Resurrection." Since founding his production company, Material, Saralegui is currently packaging "Showtime," "Replay" and "The Queen of the Damned" at Warner Bros., and "End Game" at Mandalay Pictures.