Bravo Media and Universal Cable Productions Come Together with Sonar Entertainment to Develop Limited Event Scripted Series THE FIFTH BEATLE

Bravo Media continues its commitment to scripted programming with the development announcement of limited event series "The Fifth Beatle." From Universal Cable Productions (UCP) and Sonar Entertainment, the project is based on Tony Award-winning producer Vivek J. Tiwary's critically acclaimed bestselling graphic novel, "The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story," exploring the complicated personal life of the band's visionary manager who helped catapult the Fab Four to international stardom. Tiwary will pen the series adaptation and serve as executive producer along with Leopoldo Gout. The project includes Tiwary's access to the John Lennon-Paul McCartney song catalog, the first Beatles-related biopic to secure such rights. The announcement comes on the heels of Bravo's recent series greenlight of anthology series "Dirty John," also from UCP, which will join the network's original scripted slate including "Imposters," returning for a sophomore season on Thursday, April 5 and the fifth and final season of "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," premiering this summer.

"The Fifth Beatle" recounts the true story of the legendary Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, a brilliant yet often tormented dreamer who discovered the band in the Cavern Club in Liverpool, then nurtured, protected and guided them to unprecedented worldwide success. As a gay Jewish man living in 1960s England where homosexuality was a felony, Epstein was a double outsider who struggled to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. He was instrumental in the Fab Four's rise to fame and saw their potential when no one else did. Yet behind the music, Epstein suffered from loneliness and his crushing desires to be one of the boys and belong. Epstein grew to become not only the engineer of Beatlemania, but also a key architect of the cultural revolution of THE SIXTIES with his ambition to change the world and spread the Beatles' messages of love and peace.

Published by Dark Horse Comics, "The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story" was written by Vivek J. Tiwary with art by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker.

About Bravo Media:

Bravo Media is the premier lifestyle and entertainment brand that drives cultural conversation around its high-quality, interactive original content focusing on the network's passion points of food, fashion, beauty, design, digital, and pop culture. The network's diversified slate includes Bravo's scripted series "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" and "Imposters," in addition to unscripted favorites such as Emmy Award-winning "Top Chef," "Vanderpump Rules," "Below Deck," "Southern Charm," and the popular "Million Dollar Listing" and "The Real Housewives" franchises, as well as the only live late-night talk show, "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Available in 87 million homes, Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Watch Bravo anywhere: on demand, online, or across mobile and connected TVs. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and first launched in December 1980.

About Universal Cable Productions:

Universal Cable Productions (UCP) creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted content for all media platforms. Its robust slate of programming includes: the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama "Mr. Robot," the Golden Globe nominated "The Sinner," "Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G," "Suits," "Colony," and "Shooter" for USA Network; "12 Monkeys," "Channel Zero," "Happy!," "Killjoys" and "The Magicians" for SYFY; "The Purge" for USA and SYFY; "Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce" and "Imposters" for Bravo; "The Arrangement" and "The Royals" for E!; "The Umbrella Academy" for Netflix; "Impulse" for Youtube Red; and "HarmonQuest" for VRV. UCP's content library also features critic and fan favorites such as the Emmy-award winning "Monk" as well as "Battlestar Galactica" and "Psych." Universal Cable Productions is a part of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. Follow us @UCPisTV.

About Sonar Entertainment:

Sonar Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment studio that develops, produces, finances and distributes content for global audiences. Our financial strength and independence provides us with the freedom to fund development and productions on a global scale and partner with the most innovative storytellers in the industry. Sonar Entertainment premium scripted series include Mr. Mercedes, written by David E. Kelley, based on the novel by Stephen King, with the AT&T AUDIENCE Network for DIRECTV and AT&T U-'verse; The Son, starring Pierce Brosnan for AMC; and Das Boot, an eight'-part series inspired by the acclaimed movie, for Sky. Sonar Entertainment also distributes internationally, outside the UK, Taboo, for FX and BBC One, starring Tom Hardy and executive produced by Ridley Scott. Factual and lifestyle series include TEXAS METAL for Discovery and Food's Greatest Hits for Scripps. Sonar Kids and Family series include Counterfeit Cat, airing on Disney XD in the US, Teletoon in Canada, on Hulu and in over 200 countries worldwide; and Go Away, Unicorn! for Disney.

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