'Sahara' Star Matthew McConaughey to Be Honored at New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

'Sahara' Star Matthew McConaughey to Be Honored at New York City's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

Star to Meet Troops of the 77th RRC, Receive The Commanding General's Coin, and Screen First-Ever Film Shown on Intrepid

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew McConaughey, the star of the upcoming motion picture "Sahara," will be honored at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City, where he will host a screening of the film -- the first-ever major motion picture ever shown on the vessel -- for the Army Reserve soldiers of the 77th Regional Readiness Command (RRC) on Thursday, March 3. McConaughey will meet the troops from the 77th RRC and receive The Commanding General's Coin from their commanding general, Major General Richard S. Colt. In addition, Colonel Tom Tyrrell USMC, (Ret.), Executive Director and CEO of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, will present McConaughey with an American flag that has flown over the Intrepid flight deck.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991206/PARLOGO) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050218/LAF050)

In "Sahara," master explorer Dirk Pitt (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. The film opens in theaters nationwide on April 8.

McConaughey said, "I'm honored to be screening 'Sahara' on the Intrepid for the soldiers of the 77th RRC. These men and women do so much for us -- a lot of them are just back from the Middle East -- and I'm glad I could find a way to give back. It's going to be a very cool day."

Paramount Pictures and Bristol Bay Productions present, in association with Baldwin Entertainment Group, a j.k. livin production, a Kanzaman production, "Sahara." Breck Eisner directs. The screenplay is by Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer and John C. Richards and James V. Hart, based on the novel by Clive Cussler. The action-adventure is produced by Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Mace Neufeld and Stephanie Austin. Matthew McConaughey, Gus Gustawes, William J. Immerman, and Vicki Dee Rock are the executive producers. Additional cast includes Lambert Wilson, Glynn Turman, with Delroy Lindo and William H. Macy. The film is distributed in the United States by Paramount Pictures. j. k. livin, McConaughey's production company, stands for "just keep livin'."

Paramount Pictures is a part of the entertainment operations of Viacom, Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music.

Bristol Bay Productions, a subsidiary of AFG (Anschutz Film Group), develops, finances and produces feature films in all genres -- dramas, comedies, thrillers and action adventure -- that tell uplifting stories appropriate for audiences of all ages. Bristol Bay's films come from a number of sources: popular books, the lives of influential people, timeless heroes, themes and events that inspire us all. Because of their broad appeal, Bristol Bay's films are rated G, PG and PG-13.

Contact: Jasmine Madatian Senior Vice President, Publicity Paramount Pictures (323) 956-5504

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991206/PARLOGO http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050218/LAF050 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Paramount Pictures

CONTACT: Jasmine Madatian, Senior Vice President, Publicity of Paramount Pictures, +1-323-956-5504

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