Ray-Ban Outfits the Stars of Sahara With Hollywood's Favorite Sunglasses

Ray-Ban Outfits the Stars of Sahara With Hollywood's Favorite Sunglasses

NEW YORK, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penelope Cruz and William H. Macy light up the screen in Paramount Pictures' and Bristol Bay's exciting new action adventure, Sahara. Opening April 8, 2005 the film follows master explorer Dirk Pitt (McConaughey) and his sidekick (Zahn) on a dangerous treasure hunt through Western Africa. For the film, Paramount and Bristol Bay teamed up with Ray-Ban, the world's leading eyewear brand, to find the perfect pair of glasses for each of its stars.

Master explorer Dirk Pitt(R) (Matthew McConaughey) takes on the adventure of his life when he embarks on a treasure hunt through some of the most dangerous regions of West Africa. Searching for what locals call the "Ship of Death," a long lost Civil War battleship which protects a secret cargo, Pitt and his wisecracking sidekick (Steve Zahn) use their wits and clever heroics to help Doctor Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz), when they realize the ship may be linked to mysterious deaths in the very same area.

Ray-Ban provided four unique eyewear styles to match each of the lead character's individual personas in the film. Matthew McConaughey wears the Titanium Classic (RB 8018 001), a sleek and sporty style perfect for this heroic adventurer and leading man. Steve Zahn, the wisecracking sidekick, sports the Predator Shot Extreme (RB 4037 601) from one of the most popular Ray-Ban lines. Penelope Cruz wears two pairs of Ray-Ban glasses in the film: the New Aviator sunglasses (RB 3213 006) with their classic Ray-Ban look and a smart and sexy Ray-Ban ophthalmic (RB 5013 2000). All of the eyewear styles featured in Sahara are currently available for purchase at Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters, leading department stores, independent optical chains, sunglass stores and other fine optical providers.

The looks sported by the stars of Sahara exhibit the variety offered in the Ray-Ban collection and are sure to contribute to the brand's status as the best known sunglass in the world. The film also continues in the Ray-Ban tradition as the sunglass of choice for Hollywood. They have been worn by the classic characters of films such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Blues Brothers, Risky Business, Top Gun, There's Something About Mary, Almost Famous, Nurse Betty, Pearl Harbor, Traffic, Men In Black I and II, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Daredevil.

Founded in 1961, Luxottica Group is the world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of quality sun and optical eyewear. The Luxottica Group offers the following wholly owned brands -- Luxottica, Luxottica Collection, Sferoflex, Ray-Ban, Revo, Persol, Killer Loop, Arnette and Vogue Occhiali. Luxottica's licensed brands include Chanel, Ferragamo, Versace, Versus, Prada, Miu Miu, Bvlgari, Moschino Occhiali, Adrienne Vittadini, Anne Klein and Brooks Brothers.

Paramount Pictures and Bristol Bay Productions present, in association with Baldwin Entertainment Group, a j.k. livin production and a Kanzaman Production. Based on the novel by Clive Cussler, screenplay by Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer and John C. Richards and James V. Hart, and directed by Breck Eisner, the film is produced by Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Mace Neufeld and Stephanie Austin. The executive producers are Matthew McConaughey, Gus Gustawes and William J. Immerman. The co-producers are Denise O'Dell, Mark Albela, David Barron, Vicki Dee Rock and Nick Morton.

Source: Ray-Ban

CONTACT: Peggy Fries of Luxottica, +1-212-302-1200; or Rosalind Drisko of Rogers & Cowan, +1-212-445-8447, for Ray-Ban

------- Profile: Ent