LONDON and BURBANK, Calif. – Sky today (Tuesday 3 July 2012) announces a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution for the exclusive UK television rights to the highly anticipated upcoming U.S. drama series ARROW and THE FOLLOWING. The announcement was made today by Sarah Wright, Controller of Acquisitions, Sky, and Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television.

ARROW, coming to Sky 1 HD in Autumn 2012, reinvents the DC Comics super hero for a modern-day audience. The series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti (Green Lantern, Brothers & Sisters), Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe). David Nutter (Smallville) directed and executive produced the pilot. Based upon characters appearing in comic books and graphic novels published by DC Comics, ARROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series is distributed around the world by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

After suffering unimaginable ordeals while marooned for five years on a remote island, billionaire Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell, The Vampire Diaries) returns homewith a mysterious agenda and lethal set of new skills. Determined to right the wrongs his father committed while amassing the Queen family fortune, Oliver has sworn to bring justice upon the rich and powerful who have corrupted his city.

ARROW also stars Colin Donnell (Pan Am) as Oliver’s best friend, Tommy Merlyn; Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl) as the love of Oliver’s life, Dinah “Laurel” Lance; David Ramsey (Dexter) as John Diggle; Willa Holland (The O.C., Gossip Girl) as Oliver’s sister, Thea; with Susanna Thompson (Cold Case) as Oliver’s mother, Moira Queen; and Paul Blackthorne (24, The River) as Detective Quentin Lance.

Terrifying cat-and-mouse thriller THE FOLLOWING — coming exclusively to Sky customers on Sky Atlantic HD in early 2013 — stars Golden Globe winner and Emmy® nominee Kevin Bacon (Mystic River, Apollo 13) and the UK’s James Purefoy (Rome), and is executive produced by Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek, the Scream films) and Marcos Siega (Dexter, True Blood).

When notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy) escapes from death row and embarks on a new killing spree, the FBI calls former agent Ryan Hardy (Bacon), a psychologically scarred veteran who captured Carroll nine years earlier, after Carroll murdered 14 female students on a college campus where he taught literature. Knowing Carroll better than anyone and close with Carroll's ex-wife, Claire (Natalie Zea, Justified), Hardy works closely with an FBI team which includes no-nonsense agent Jennifer Mason (Jeananne Goossen, The Vow) and sharp upstart Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore, X-Men: The Last Stand), and he soon discovers that Carroll was not only communicating with a network of killers in the outside world, but has much more planned than just a prison escape.

Also starring Valorie Curry, Nico Tortorella, Adan Canto and Kyle Catlett, THE FOLLOWING is produced by Bonanza Productions, Inc. in association with Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. The series is distributed around the world by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

Sarah Wright commented: “I’m delighted that we have secured the rights to two of the most talked about shows from the LA screenings this year. ARROW and THE FOLLOWING will boost Sky's already enviable US programming slate, and combined with our award-winning original programming, will deliver on our promise to bring the best content exclusively to our customers.”

Jeffrey Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television, said: “These two highly-anticipated series are sure to become staples of Sky’s programming offerings.  We look forward to delivering a one-two-punch with THE FOLLOWING and ARROW to U.K. audiences.”

Notes to editor

For more information please contact:

ARROW:

Sarah Aspinall
Senior Publicist, Sky1 HD   
T: +44 (0)20 7032 1488                    
sarah.aspinall@bskyb.com  

THE FOLLOWING:

Claire Wilson
Publicist, Sky Atlantic HD   
T: +44 (0)20 7032 3071                    
M: +44 (0)7920 027 764
claire.wilson@bskyb.com   

Megan MacLeod                       
Publicist, Sky Atlantic HD
T: +44 (0)20 7032 4252                              

M: +44 (0)7584 580 014
megan.macleod@bskyb.com