Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. announced that it has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the feature film The Deal, a romantic comedy currently in production in Capetown, South Africa, starring high-profile actors William H. Macy, Meg Ryan, Elliot Gould and LL Cool J, as the Company continues to expand its portfolio of film, television and DVD productions for lucrative international and domestic distribution. A 2008 theatrical release is planned by Peace Arch.

This acquisition of rights exemplifies Peace Arch's business strategy of assembling a diverse annual slate of new film and television programming through in-house production and third-party acquisitions, and generating revenues by the worldwide distribution of that content.

The film stars William H. Macy (Thank You For Smoking, The Cooler, Fargo), Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless In Seattle, You Have Mail), LL Cool J (Deep Blue Sea, Any Given Sunday) and Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven, MASH). The film is directed by Steven Schachter and written by Schacter and writing partner Macy (the Emmy Award-winning Door to Door), based on the popular novel by Peter Lefcourt "The Deal: A Novel of Hollywood" (1991).

In The Deal, a struggling film producer (Macy) teams up with a beleaguered studio executive (Ryan) to make a doomed action movie with a mercurial star (LL Cool J) who seems determined to finish their careers.

The film will be distributed worldwide by Peace Arch Entertainment.

Macy and Schachter are long-time collaborators having written the multiple Emmy Award-winning television movie Door to Door and the Emmy Award and Golden Globe-nominated television movie The Wool Cap. Macy and Schachter are represented by CAA.