El Rey Network Sets Premiere Dates For ‘Matador’, ‘The Director’s Chair’; Inks Licensing Deal With Celestial Pictures For Martial Arts Films
El Rey Network announced today that its original, scripted actions series Matador from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will premiere in July following the World Cup soccer tournament. El Rey also confirmed that the network’s founder Robert Rodriguez will direct the first episode of the series. Production gets underway at the end of March with Nicky Whelan, repped by UTA, Luber/Roklin and attorney Dave Feldman, set for the female lead. Matador is El Rey’s second original series to launch. It was announced earlier that the network’s first scripted project, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, premieres March 11. El Rey also announced that the first of 10 primetime installments of El Rey Network Presents: The Director’s Chair will premiere in April. The new hourlong series provides a forum for two directors to go one-on-one. El Rey also said it has inked a multi-year licensing deal with Celestial Pictures for martial arts titles from the Shaw Brothers library. Financial terms were not disclosed. Pics include The 36th Chamber, Chamber Of Shaolin, The Sword Of Swords, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Executioners From Shaelin, and The Flying Guillotine. All films will be featured throughout the schedule and during the network’s monthly Saturday kung-fu marathon, the next one set for March 1.
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