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Beverly Hills, CA -Steve Zahn flew to Arizona recently
to meet with best selling author Clive Cussler and lobby
for the role of Al Giordino in the long awaited film version
of Cussler's best seller SAHARA. Zahn's knowledge of Civil
War history and antique fire arms along with his acting
skills honed at Harvard and on and off Broadway, convinced
a skeptical Cussler that Zahn could pull off the pivotal
role. Zahn has been cast as Giordino, the wisecracking
sidekick to Matthew McConaughey's Dirk Pitt® in Crusader
Entertainment's much anticipated screen adaptation of
SAHARA. Slated to be a tentpole release for Paramount
Pictures, directed by Breck Eisner, SAHARA is the first
in a series of motion pictures Crusader will produce based
on the best-selling action-adventure novels of Cussler,
featuring the internationally heralded adventure hero
Dirk Pitt®.
Zahn, represented by Endeavor and managed by LMRK,
was most recently in "Daddy Day Care," and
he is currently filming "Employee of the Month"
for Bull's Eye Entertainment. He will be seen next in
Lions Gate Films' "Shattered Glass," portraying
the reporter who revealed that journalist Stephen Glass
was inventing many of his stories.
"I was a little hesitant because I was not sure
that Steve Zahn would fill the role, but he convinced
me with his knowledge of firearms and Civil War history,
his body of work and dedication to the story along with
his personal promise that he would not disappoint me
with his ability to pull off this pivotal role in the
Dirk Pitt ® adventures," Cussler stated. "Giordino
is the only character in my books based on a real person,
one of my best friends since my Air Force days, Al Giordano.
It is very important to me professionally and personally
that the role is handled properly. I believe that Steve
Zahn can do it."
Since publishing his first Dirk Pitt® novel, Iceberg,
in 1973, Cussler has constructed one of the most enduring
popular cultural literary franchises in the world. In
the U.S., 17 consecutive Pitt® novels have been
New York Times bestsellers. Pitt's® adventures have
been published in more than 40 languages in over 100
countries, and Putnam, Cussler's publisher, estimates
global readership at more than 130 million books in
print. The next Dirk Pitt ® adventure, TROJAN ODYSSEY,
will be released November 24th in the United States
and Canada. The Oregon Files series will debut with
GOLDEN BUDDHA October 7th. Cussler's latest best-selling
Dirk Pitt® adventure, Valhalla Rising was on the
New York Times best seller list in hardcover and paperback.
Other titles include Atlantis Found, Night Probe, Inca
Gold and Flood Tide. Cussler is represented by BARTHOLOMEAUX/Public
Relations, LLC, and his literary agency is the Peter
Lampack Agency.
Beverly Hills based Crusader Entertainment, LLC is
a diversified entertainment company that develops and
produces a wide array of projects with universal themes
specifically geared to audiences of all ages. Some of
Crusader's projects include The Game of Their Lives
currently shooting in St. Louis and Rio De Janeiro,
which re-unites director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo
Pizzo, the creative team behind Hoosiers and Rudy, and
starring Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley and Gavin Rossdale,
based on the true story of the American soccer team
which defeated the powerhouse English in the 1950's
World Cup. Some of Crusader's completed projects include
the romantic comedy "Danny Deck Chair," starring
Rhys Iffans and Miranda Otto, which was recently acquired
for US distribution by Lions Gate Entertainment.
Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations
of Viacom Inc., which is one of the world's largest
entertainment and publishing companies and a leading
force in nearly every segment of the international media
marketplace.
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