WILLIAM HURT JOINS THE CAST OF DAMAGES

LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2008 Academy Award(R) winning actor William Hurt will join the cast of FX's Golden Globe(R) award winning series Damages for its second season, which is scheduled to return to the network in early 2009, announced Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, FX Networks.

Production of season two starts on June 24th in New York. Damages is produced by Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and FX Productions.

Hurt joins Damages for a season-long arc as a new client of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). Details of Hurt's character are being kept under wraps, but insiders have intimated that Hurt's character will not only share a professional past with Hewes, but a personal one as well.

"We believe Damages has one of the finest ensemble casts anywhere on television and the fact that an actor the caliber of William Hurt has joined the cast speaks to the quality of series," said Grad. "It will be great watching him and Glenn Close work together again."

Creators/Executive Producers Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman stated, "We are thrilled and honored to have William join Glenn Close on our Damages dream team. The fuse is lit, and with these two actors going head to head, the fireworks are sure to fly."

The role on Damages marks the first time in his illustrious career that Hurt has signed on for regular series television. He reunites with Glenn Close for the first time since they shared the screen 25 years ago in the acclaimed film The Big Chill.

"To be able to welcome the brilliant William Hurt to our remarkable cast is as good as it gets," said Jeanie Bradley, Executive Vice President, Current Programming, SPT. "Watching him and Glenn tangle onscreen will surely deliver the goods that our audience has grown to expect."