BASTEI LÜBBE TO PUBLISH OFFICIAL TIE-IN TO NEW NBC EVENT SERIES "HEROES REBORN"

SAN DIEGO (July 12, 2015) — On September 25, 2015, leading German publisher Bastei Lübbe will release the first in a series of novellas to tie in with the premiere of NBC’s “HEROES REBORN,” the reboot of the globally successful TV show “HEROES.” The novellas were announced today during the “HEROES REBORN” panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

In a joint venture from Bastei Lübbe and multi-platform entertainment studio Imperative Entertainment, the “HEROES REBORN” novella series will be initially published as six e-books and audiobooks, with an anthologized print edition to follow. The novellas will be written by various authors including New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn and multimillion bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson. The six short thrillers will focus on both new and familiar characters from “HEROES,” with some of the novellas extending the narrative from the new series while others help fill in the gap between the old series and the new.

The “HEROES REBORN” novella series launches with Brave New World by David Bishop, which ties in with the first episode of the “HEROES REBORN” series. A Matter of Trust by Timothy Zahn focuses on a priest with a dark secret, while Nobody, an original tale by Kevin J. Anderson and Peter J. Wacks, involves the power and the curse of physical attraction. Duane Swierczynski’s contribution is a cat-and-mouse thriller about a murderous husband and wife couple whose next intended victim proves highly elusive, while Stephen Blackmoore’s story is an action-packed tale of police corruption. Finally, Keith De Candido’s Save The Cheerleader, Destroy The World tells the full story of what happened to everybody’s favorite cheerleader, Claire Bennet.

“What you see on TV is just a piece of the Heroes universe we’ve created. These novellas give existing and new fans a chance to learn the fates of some of their favorite characters and to dive deeper into ‘HEROES’ rich mythology. Plus, they’re a lot fun to read,” said “HEROES REBORN” creator Tim Kring.

“We’re proud to be a part of the global ‘HEROES REBORN’ project. This underlines that we have been taking the right steps regarding our international approach. Working with such valuable partners like Universal Partnerships & Licensing shows how powerful the collaboration with Imperative Entertainment is in our joint venture with Bastei LLC.,” said Thomas Schierack, CEO of Bastei Lübbe AG.

Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/heroesreborn_novellaseries_ep1

“HEROES REBORN” premieres Thursday, September 24, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Heroes Reborn is a trademark and copyright of Universal Television. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC 2015. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT BASTEI LÜBBE

With annual revenues of EUR 107.5 million, Cologne-based BasteiLübbe AG is one of the top trade publishers in the German publishing industry. Under the long-time leadership of the late publisher and principal shareholder Stefan Lübbe, along with management board members Thomas Schierack (CEO), Klaus Kluge, Felix Rudloff and Jörg Plathner, the publishing and media group, now in its 62nd year, currently offers a catalogue of 3,600 fiction and non-fiction titles for adults, children and young readers from its 12 different publishing units and imprints. With international authors such as Dan Brown, Ken Follett, David Baldacci and Andrea Camilleri, German authors such as Andreas Eschbach and Wolfgang Hohlbein, original German bestsellers including the ‘Waringham’-series by Rebecca Gablé and the New Zealand saga books from Sarah Lark, Bastei Lübbe has built an unrivalled position as the leading name in German popular fiction.

ABOUT UNIVERSAL PARTNERSHIPS & LICENSING

Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) oversees NBC Universal’s consumer product and digital licensing for Universal Pictures, NBC Television, Focus Features and Sprout Channel. This dedicated division is also responsible for film, home entertainment and television promotions. UP&L is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is 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. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.