The Brittany Murphy Story Makes Worldwide Premiere on Lifetime, Saturday, Sept. 6th

LOS ANGELES - Sept. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- The Brittany Murphy Story, which shares the real-life story of the ambitious and talented actress – who rose to fame quickly, but succumbed much too young to the dark side of Hollywood – will make its worldwide premiere Saturday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

Produced by MarVista Entertainment, The Brittany Murphy Story follows the actress (Amanda Fuller, Cheap Thrills, Grey’s Anatomy, Last Man Standing) and her mother, Sharon (Sherilyn Fenn, Magic City, Boxing Helena, Of Mice and Men, Twin Peaks), as they gamble everything in a move to Hollywood, determined to make young Brittany a star.

Quickly landing a breakout role in the ’90s hit Clueless, the 17-year-old continued her rapid climb to fame, working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in such high-profile hits as Girl, Interrupted (with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder), Don’t Say a Word (with Michael Douglas) and 8 Mile (with Eminem and Kim Basinger), among others.

With a personal life equally as glamorous, Brittany dated leading men like Ashton Kutcher (Adam Hagenbuch, The Perks of Being a Wallflower),before settling down to marry British screenwriter Simon Monjack (Eric Petersen, Kirstie, the upcoming Naughty and Nice).

But relentless rumors, media glare and merciless pursuit by paparazzi – coupled with insecurities about her appearance and an underlying desperation for approval – wreaked havoc and took an enormous toll on Brittany’s fragile psyche.

Through it all, Sharon remained her grounding force, but found too late that a mother’s enduring love wasn’t enough to save her from the dark side of life in Hollywood—and the world was shocked by Brittany’s abrupt and mysterious death at just 32 years of age … followed five months later by that of her widowed husband.

Also starring Amy Davidson (The Capture of the Green River Killer, 8 Simple Rules), this biopic was directed by Joe Menendez from a screenplay by Peter Hunziker and Cynthia Riddle.  The Brittany Murphy Story was produced by Carrie LaGrand with MarVista’s CEO Fernando Szew, Sharon Bordas and Michael Moran serving as executive producers.

ABOUT LIFETIME:

Lifetime (http://www.mylifetime.com/) is a premier female-focused entertainment destination dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies.  As a result of the network’s aggressive programming strategy that has doubled the hours of its original programming, 2013 marked Lifetime’s second straight year of growth among Total Viewers.  Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks.  A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

ABOUT MARVISTA ENTERTAINMENT:
Founded in 2003, Los Angeles-based MarVista Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment studio that produces, acquires and distributes premium film and television content worldwide.  With a library now showcasing nearly 2,000 hours of content, and with approximately 40 new movies per year added to the company’s distribution pipeline, MarVista has become one of the largest suppliers of movies to the worldwide marketplace.

As a studio with a global perspective, MarVista has an expansive distribution footprint spanning more than 125 global territories, and has grown to become a pre-eminent supplier of programming

to major cable networks in the U.S., including Disney Channel, Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, NBC Universal, Nickelodeon and MTV Networks, as well as key international broadcasters, cable networks and digital platforms, generating extensive global viewership.  MarVista Digital Entertainment was established in May 2014 to license content directly to leading digital platforms across digital cable, satellite, broadband and consoles throughout North America

MarVista’s original productions continue to enjoy critical and commercial success with a landmark 2013 slate led by Fir Crazy, among Hallmark’s top-five programs of the year; Escape from Polygamy, which ranked as Lifetime’s most watched co-production; and the critically-acclaimed and Emmy Award-nominated House of Versace.  In the children’s arena, MarVista has been instrumental in successfully re-launching Saban Brands’ Power Rangers franchise around the world, as well as the new Digimon and Julius Jr. series.

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