WHAT: Comic-Con International 2006 fans will be the first to watch an exclusive 72-minute special cut of NBC'S "Heroes" pilot episode, created just for the annual event in San Diego. Debuting this fall on Mondays at 9-10 p.m. ET, "Heroes" chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover that they possess extraordinary abilities.

WHO: Following the screening, cast members Ali Larter ("Final Destination"), Greg Grunberg ("Alias"), Milo Ventimiglia ("Gilmore Girls"), Hayden Panettiere ("Ice Princess"), Sendhil Ramamurthy ("Blind Guy Driving"), and Masi Oka ("Scrubs"); creator/executive producer Tim Kring; executive producer Dennis Hammer; co-executive producer/comic book writer Jeph Loeb ("Lost," "Superman for All Seasons") and legendary comic book artist Tim Sale ("Batman: The Long Halloween") will participate in a Q&A session. Limited edition "Heroes" comic books, created by Tim Sale, will be distributed at the screening to fans who receive a special pin at the "Heroes" booth.

In addition, "Heroes" will have a booth set up on the convention center floor during the entire run of Comic-Con International 2006. At this booth, cheerleaders will be handing out exclusive "Heroes" collector pins and other limited edition items.

WHEN: Friday, July 21, 2006 at 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. (Screening/Q&A)

WHERE: Comic-Con International 2006 - San Diego Convention Center
111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101

• Screening/Q&A will take place in Room 6CDEF
• Booth activities will take place in Booth 3912

SYNOPSIS: From NBC Universal Television Studio comes the epic saga "Heroes," which chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. As a total eclipse casts it shadow across the globe, we follow a genetics professor (Sendhil Ramamurthy) in India whose father's disappearance leads him to uncover a secret theory - there are people with super powers living among us. A young dreamer (Milo Ventimiglia) tries to convince his politician brother (Adrian Pasdar) that he can fly. A high school cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) learns that she is totally indestructible.

A Las Vegas stripper (Ali Larter), trying to make ends meet to support her young son (Noah Gray-Cabey), uncovers that her mirror image has a secret. A prison inmate (Leonard Roberts) mysteriously finds himself waking up outside of his cell. A gifted artist (Santiago Cabrera), whose drug addiction is destroying his life and the relationship with his girlfriend (Tawny Cypress), can paint the future. A down-on-his-luck beat cop (Greg Grunberg) can hear peoples' thoughts, including the secrets of a captured terrorist. In Japan, a young man (Masi Oka) develops a way to stop time through sheer will power. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world.