Sky Acquires New Series 'The Pacific' from the Makers of Band of Brothers

Sky Movies to Premiere 10-part Spielberg and Hanks Produced HD Drama Series

Sky today announces the acquisition of World War II drama serial, The Pacific, from US production company HBO. The new series is a ‘companion piece’ to the critically acclaimed and multi-award winning Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It will premiere on Sky Movies in high definition in spring 2010 as part of Sky’s commitment to bring customers the widest choice of high-quality entertainment.

Made up of 10 episodes and produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the creative team behind the Emmy-winning 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, The Pacific tracks the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge and John Basilone – across the vast canvas of the Pacific. The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day.

The production of the series has cost an estimated $200 million and has been shot entirely in High Definition. The investment in the project has given the finished series the look and feel of a major Hollywood theatrical release with the ongoing narrative of a serial drama.

Sophie Turner Laing, Sky’s Managing Director of Entertainment, said: "This exciting acquisition highlights our commitment to bring high quality and distinctive content to our customers. At a time when some broadcasters are reducing their on-screen spend, we continue to invest in content which rewards our customers and creates more reasons to join Sky.”

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies, adds: "We were blown away when we saw the previews of the series - the cinematography and effects are pure Hollywood. It seemed only natural that a premium production such as this should live on Sky Movies, where it can be viewed as the director intended – in HD and with no ad breaks.”

Band of Brothers was created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg following their successful collaboration on the Oscar winning war epic Saving Private Ryan. The original series followed the fortunes of ‘E Company’ of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment from their basic training back home in the US through the airborne Normandy Landings and other landmark encounters such as the Battle of the Bulge all the way to the end of the War in 1945.

The Pacific will air in the US & the UK in spring 2010.