HBO and Comcast to Host the Virginia Premiere of HBO Films' 'TAKING CHANCE,' February 10, at the Quantico Marine Corps Base

HBO and Comcast to Host the Virginia Premiere of HBO Films' 'TAKING CHANCE,' February 10, at the Quantico Marine Corps Base

KEVIN BACON STARS IN THE TRUE STORY OF A FALLEN MARINE'S FINAL JOURNEY HOME

LEAD ACTOR KEVIN BACON; DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND SCREENWRITER ROSS KATZ; SCREENWRITER LT COL MICHAEL R. STROBL, USMC (RET.); EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS BRAD KREVOY AND CATHY WISCHNER-SOLA; AND HBO FILMS PRESIDENT LEN AMATO ARE SCHEDULED TO ATTEND THE INVITATION-ONLY PREMIERE

Two-Time Oscar(R)-Nominated Katz Makes Directorial Debut

QUANTICO, Va., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- HBO and Comcast will co-host the Virginia premiere of HBO Films' TAKING CHANCE, February 10, at Quantico Marine Corps Base, during an invitation-only screening event at the Little Hall Theater. Lead actor Kevin Bacon; director, executive producer and writer Ross Katz; writer Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.); executive producers Brad Krevoy and Cathy Wischner-Sola and HBO Films president Len Amato are scheduled to attend.

In spring 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a young Marine who had been killed in action in Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty to accompany Chance's remains to his family in Dubois, Wyoming.

Based on Strobl's personal journal of the same name, TAKING CHANCE chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that take place every day across the country, bearing witness to the fallen and all those who, literally and figuratively, carry them home.

Strobl, who recently retired after serving 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, developed the original story with the strong support of Phelps' parents, John Phelps and Gretchen Mack, both of whom are also scheduled to attend the Virginia premiere.

Strobl's first-person account, which began as an official trip report, gives an insight into the military's policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties. The story became an Internet phenomenon when it was widely circulated throughout the military community and eventually reached the mainstream media.

An HBO Films presentation of a Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures production, TAKING CHANCE marks the directorial debut of two-time Oscar(R)-nominated producer Ross Katz ("Lost in Translation"). The screenplay is by Lieutenant Colonel Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. The executive producers are Brad Krevoy ("A Love Song for Bobby Long"), Cathy Wischner-Sola and Ross Katz; the co-executive producer is William Teitler (HBO's "Empire Falls"); and the producer is Lori Keith Douglas ("The Notorious Bettie Page"). HBO Films vice president Jenni Sherwood is the executive in charge of the production.

Kevin Bacon ("Frost/Nixon") stars in HBO Films' TAKING CHANCE, which debuts SATURDAY, FEB. 21 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

CAST AND FILMMAKER BIOS

Kevin Bacon (LtCol Michael Strobl) made his film debut as Chip in "National Lampoon's Animal House," which led to roles in "Diner" and "Footloose," the movie that propelled him to stardom. His film credits also include "Murder in the First" (voted Best Actor by The Broadcast Critics Association), "Apollo 13," "Mystic River" and "The Woodsman" (IFP Spirit Award nomination). Bacon's directing credits include "Loverboy," starring Kyra Sedgwick. He was recently seen in the feature films "Death Sentence" and "Rails & Ties," and he can currently be seen in the acclaimed "Frost/Nixon."

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC (Ret.) (writer, military consultant) enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1983 and served in all three active duty Marine divisions as a field artilleryman. He has deployed to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf region with the 13th and 15th Marine Expeditionary Units, and participated in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm as part of the 1st Marine Division. Strobl's last assignment was at Headquarters, United States Marine Corps, Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Va. He wrote the journal "Taking Chance" while serving with the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico in April 2004. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2007 and currently works as a defense analyst at the Pentagon.

Ross Katz (director, writer, executive producer) is a two-time Academy Award(R) nominee for producing and has now taken on the role of writer and director with TAKING CHANCE, his first feature film. As a producer, Katz received Best Picture Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe nominations and won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards for Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation." He also garnered Best Picture Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe nominations for Todd Field's "In the Bedroom," which premiered at Sundance. Previously, Katz earned an Emmy(R) nomination as an executive producer of HBO Films' "The Laramie Project." Katz also produced Coppola's "Marie Antoinette." His first feature as producer was Jim Fall's "Trick." One of Katz's upcoming projects as writer and director is "Amateur American," based on the political thriller by J. Elmore Saunders, and produced by A Likely Story.

Brad Krevoy (executive producer) founded the Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) in 1986, and has played a key role in the finance, development, production and distribution of more than 100 motion picture and television projects. His producing credits include the smash hit comedy "Dumb and Dumber," the Peabody Award-winning TV movie "Annie," Kevin Spacey's directorial debut, "Albino Alligator," "A Love Song for Bobby Long," starring John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson, "Kingpin," "Jungle 2 Jungle" and "Beverly Hills Ninja." In 1996 Krevoy sold MPCA and became co-president of Orion Pictures, where he produced "Dead Poets Society," which brought Tom Schulman an Academy Award(R) for original screenplay, and released films such as Victor Nunez's critically acclaimed "Ulee's Gold," presented by Jonathan Demme and starring Academy Award(R) nominee Peter Fonda, as well as Sergei Bodrov's "Prisoner of the Mountains," an Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Krevoy revitalized Orion Pictures, quickly positioning the company for sale to Kirk Kerkorian's MGM/UA in 1997, and subsequently restarted MPCA. He is currently prepping "Rainbow Bridge," written by two-time Academy Award(R) nominee William Nicholson.

Cathy Wischner-Sola's (executive producer) projects currently in development include "The Badlands," "Esperanza Rising" and "The Last Beach Bungalow." A former vice president of original programming at TNT, she was involved in such projects as "Pirates of Silicon Valley," "King of Texas," "Animal Farm" and "Smudge," which won a Humanitas Prize for Best Children's Movie. While an executive with Daniel H. Blatt Productions, she supervised "Common Ground" and "Sworn to Silence," among others. Wischner-Sola currently serves on the faculty of the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory.

William Teitler's (co-executive producer) producing credits include HBO Films' "Empire Falls," as well as "Zathura," "The Polar Express," "How to Deal," "Tuck Everlasting," "The Hurricane," "Jumanji," "Looking for Richard," "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Picture Perfect." Teitler's television credits include HBO's CableACE Award-winning series "Tales from the Crypt" and "Tales from the Dark Side." His upcoming films include "Robot Taekwon V" and "The Widow's Broom."

Lori Keith Douglas (producer) began her film career in development and moved into physical production shortly thereafter. She worked with the production team at New Line Cinema, aiding in the development and production of more than a dozen films, including the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series and "The Mask," starring Jim Carrey. Her other credits include Mira Nair's "The Namesake," the HBO Films/Picturehouse release "The Notorious Bettie Page," "Requiem for a Dream," "The Savages" and the upcoming "The Rebound."

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Source: HBO

CONTACT: Carmen Argamasilla, +1-305-446-6695, +1-305-491-3051,
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Profile: International Entertainment