Saving Milly
|
 |
CBS, Advertisers Come
|
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The real-life story of political journalist Morton Kondracke and his activist wife Milly's struggle with her Parkinson's disease is coming to CBS in a movie starring Bruce Greenwood and Madeleine Stowe.
"Saving Milly," based on Kondracke's best-selling book, will be co-produced by Magna Global Entertainment, marking CBS' first collaboration with the ad buying agency on a TV movie. It also will introduce to primetime viewers the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which is sponsoring the movie through members Johnson & Johnson, the Kellogg Co., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Unilever.
Emmy-winning director-producer Dan Curtis is on board to direct "Saving Milly" from a script by Oscar-nominated writer Jeff Arch ("Sleepless in Seattle"). Curtis also is executive producing the Dan Curtis / Dan Blatt Prods. film with Dan Blatt, David Kennedy and Magna Global's Frances Croke Page and Elaine Frontain Bryant.
"Saving Milly," which has started production in Vancouver, chronicles the relationship between Kondracke and his wife, which takes a dramatic turn in 1987 when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"It's really a love story that is engaging, and it's about family pulling together after the awareness of a serious illness," said Bill Cella, chairman and CEO of ad-buying agency Magna Global USA. "It's a terrific story, and it's a true story."
As a member of the executive council of the Family Friendly Programming Forum, Cella brought "Saving Milly" to the organization, a group of major advertisers who support the development of family-friendly TV fare. The project immediately received a thumbs up.
"Magna Global is proud to be able help bring this movie to live on behalf of the Family Friendly Programming Forum," said Cella, who believes sponsorship and other advertisers' involvement in the development process is getting more and more important. "I think it's an important part of the future of television. I think advertisers are looking to support very good content, to put their name on it and to be able to say that they've really helped bring a project to life. It can have a lot of meaningful communication channels to it."Magna Global's TV movie producing experience includes the Johnson & Johnson presentations for TNT, most recently "The Wool Cap."
The forum provided seed money for such hit shows as the WB's "Gilmore Girls" and NBC's "American Dreams." It backed two shows this season, CBS' "Clubhouse," which died a quick death, and ABC's "Savages."
Greenwood's recent credits include the features "Being Julia" and "I, Robot," and the telefilm "The Riverman." His upcoming big-screen projects include "Racing Stripes," "Capote" and "The World's Fastest Indian." He is repped by the Gersh Agency and manager Chuck Binder.
Stowe's feature credits include "The Last of the Mohicans," "12 Monkeys" and "We Were Soldiers." She is repped by UTA.
Zap2it 12/1/04
HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) Bruce Greenwood and Madeleine Stowe are toplining "Saving Milly," a CBS movie based on an emotional difficult true story. Based on political journalist Morton Kondracke's best selling book, "Saving Milly" focuses on Kondracke (Greenwood) and his activist wife Milly (Stowe). The drama follows Mort's fight with alcoholism, but mostly shows how their family copes with Milly's battle with Parkinson's Disease and how it changes Mort from a driven journalist into a dedicated caregiver and advocate.
Jeff Arch ("Sleepless in Seattle") wrote the screenplay and the project is directed by Dan Curtis. Production on the movie recently began in Vancouver.
Greenwood, last seen on the big screen in "I, Robot" and "Being Julia," has been an active TV movie performer in efforts like A&E's "The Riverman" and FX's "Meltdown," both 2004 releases. Stowe is best known for features including "Revenge," "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Twelve Monkeys." "Saving Milly" is CBS' first collaboration with Magna Global Entertainment, an industry leader in advertiser-supplied programming. Johnson & Johnson, The Kellogg Company, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Unilever, members of the Family Friendly Programming Forum, are sponsoring the movie.
zap2it.com