The Weinstein Company

Acquisition News: Weinstein Company Picks Up BACHELORETTE, Image Acquires GOATS, and Anchor Bay Nabs EXCISION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 5:35 pm

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival may be over, but the acquisitions are not. We’ve got three such stories to share with you today. First up, The Weinstein Company has closed a deal for North American distribution rights to the raunchy comedy Bachelorette. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Adam Scott, and James Marsden and centers on four high school friends who reunite when the least popular of the group gets engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. Matt praised the candidly despicable portrayal of the main characters, but was disappointed when the film tried to redeem their behavior towards the end. You can read his review here.

Deadline reports that The Weinstein Company plans on releasing the film through their new label Radius, which focuses on multi-platform release strategies. They plan on releasing Bachelorette on a multi-platform day and date release with a theatrical component. Hit the jump for acquisition news concerning the David Duchovny pic Goats and the horror film Excision.

New Production Banner INCOGNITO PICTURES from Ex-PayPal Exec, Jack Selby

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 23rd, 2012 at 4:51 pm

A new production banner has entered the biz with an aim to make “genre-agnostic” movies for a sub-$10 million budget. Former PayPal executive Jack Selby has secured $50 million in financing for Incognito Pictures and has entered into a long-term distribution deal with The Weinstein Company. The ambitious business plan will allow for production of five or six films initially and expects to announce their first slate in February. Though horror films are normally in the under-$10 million category, Selby, with banner partner and producer Scott Stone look to “fill an underserved market of more modestly budgeted films with specialized content that appeals to audiences, both domestically and abroad.” Hit the jump to check out the press release.

Lawsuit Over THE CROW Settled; Reboot to Move Forward

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 23rd, 2012 at 3:59 pm

The reboot that no one is asking for looks like it may be moving forward. A revisiting of director Alex Proyas’ 1994 Miramax picture, The Crow, was previously in the works through Relativity Media. Since the Weinsteins distributed the original through Miramax and had contracts claiming ownership of all rights to The Crow, they filed suit against Relativity seeking “injunctive relief,” ie ceasing all The Crow-related production. Not to be intimidated, Relativity fired counter-claims.

Things haven’t gone particularly well for the reboot as directors have come and gone, writers have signed on and then dropped out, and principal actors have been offered roles but have ultimately left the project. In short, it’s been a mess. One bright spot in production is that both sides of the lawsuit have settled amicably. While the good news is that this brings The Crow reboot closer to reality, the bad news is that this brings The Crow reboot closer to reality. Hit the jump to read the press release.

John Hillcoat’s THE WETTEST COUNTY Bumped to August 31st

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 5th, 2012 at 2:16 pm

John Hillcoat’s Prohibition-era drama The Wettest County has been pushed back from April 20th to August 31st.  Nick Cave (The Proposition) wrote the script based Matt Bondourant‘s novel about two brothers (played by Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy) who become bootleggers in the South during Prohibition.  In addition to LaBeouf and Hardy, the outstanding cast also includes Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Dane DeHaan, and Jessica Chastain.

With this cast and this premise, it seemed odd that the Weinstein Company would schedule it to April 20th, but the August 31st date doesn’t make much sense either.  Hit the jump for positives and negatives of the new date.

David O. Russell’s THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK Set for November 21, 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 9:16 am

The Weinstein Company has set the release date of David O. Russell‘s The Silver Linings Playbook for November 21, 2012.  Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the movie centers on a former high school teacher (Bradley Cooper) who returns home after four years in a mental institution to live with his mother (Jackie Weaver) and win back the affection of his estranged wife.  The movie also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, and Robert De Niro.  Silver Linings sounds like it could be awards material and now TWC can put “From the Oscar-nominated Director of The Fighter” on the poster.

The Weinsteins will probably take Silver Linings out for a spin on the awards circuit before its November 21st release.  Of course, the Thanksgiving Day weekend is always crowded and so far the date also belongs to Alfonso Cuaron‘s sci-fi drama Gravity, the family comedy Parental Guidance, the Keanu Reeves‘ action-adventure 47 Ronin, and the animated film Rise of the Guardians.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Silver Linings Playbook. [Release date via Box Office Mojo]

THE WETTEST COUNTY, Starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, Set for April 20, 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 15th, 2011 at 7:42 am

The Weinstein Company has set John Hillcoat‘s The Wettest County for April 20, 2012.  Nick Cave (The Proposition) wrote the script based Matt Bondourant‘s novel about two brothers (played by Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy) who become bootleggers in the South during Prohibition.  In addition to LaBeouf and Hardy, the outstanding cast also includes Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Dane DeHaan, and Jessica Chastain.  It looked like TWC would be setting the movie up for an awards run, but the studio already has its line-up set with The Artist, The Iron Lady, and My Week with Marilyn.  That doesn’t mean that Wettest County is bad, but it may not be appealing to Academy voters.  Neither were Hillcoat’s previous films, The Proposition and The Road.

Hit the jump for Wettest County‘s competition on April 20, 2012, and for a synopsis of Bondourant’s novel.

The Weinstein Company Reschedules MY WEEK WITH MARILYN for Thanksgiving Weekend

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 12th, 2011 at 6:18 pm

If you are looking for major release date news, I’ll direct you today’s earlier post on Fox’s schedule for six upcoming projects.  If you just want to find out when you can see My Week With Marilyn, you’re in the right place.  Deadline reports The Weinstein Co. has rescheduled the Marilyn Monroe biopic from November 4 to November 23.  The studio is reportedly encouraged enough by the strong reception at the New York Film Festival to throw it into the Thanksgiving fray with The Muppets, Hugo, Arthur Christmas, and Piranha 3DD, not to mention fellow TWC release The Artist.

Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, and Eddie Redmayne star in My Week With Marilyn.  Hit the jump for the official synopsis.

The Weinstein Company Sends Madonna’s W.E. into the Oscar Race on December 9th

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 29th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

Madonna’s directorial debut Filth and Wisdom was widely panned but The Weinstein Company clearly has some faith in her follow-up W.E. (or at least in their ability to market it).  The studio has sent out a press release announcing that they’ll release the movie on December 9th in the heart of awards season.  It makes sense that TWC would try pushing the film into the awards race since the story of W.E. is what was happening off-screen in The King’s Speech.  Whereas King’s Speech made King Edward VIII look like a selfish, short-sighted romantic, W.E. will recount his love story with American Wallis Simpson by viewing their relationship through the modern life of Wally Winthrop.  Wally is unhappy in her own marriage and looks for answers in the story of Edward VIII and Simpson.  The film stars features Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy, and Oscar Isaac.

W.E. will be given a platform release and open in New York and LA on December 9th and go wide sometime in January.  The other films set to open on December 9th are the star-studded rom-com anthology New Year’s Eve and David Gordon Green’s comedy The Sitter starring Jonah Hill.  Hit the jump for the press release.

The Weinstein Company Announces Release Dates for HALLOWEEN 3D, SCARY MOVIE 5, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, and More

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 17th, 2011 at 4:45 pm

The Weinstein Company has announced release dates for seven upcoming films including Halloween 3D (you know you want another entry in that franchise…right?), Scary Movie 5 (insert previous parenthetical here), Coriolanus, The Iron Lady, The Artist, The Bully Project, and Michelle Williams and Emma Watson’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, My Week with Marilyn. Here is a bulleted breakdown of the dates in chronological order:

• My Week with Marilyn – 11/4/11 – Stars Michelle Williams and Emma Watson
• The Bully Project – 11/11/11 – A documentary from director Lee Hirsch
• The Artist - 11/23/11 – Stars Malcolm McDowell and John Goodman
• Coriolanus – 12/2/11 – Stars Ralph Fiennes (who is also directing) and Gerard Butler
• The Iron Lady – 12/16/11 – Stars Meryl Streep
• Scary Movie 5 - 4/20/12
• Halloween 3D - 10/26/12

In addition to these dates, Relativity has also pushed back its horror pic House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue, from February 3rd, 2012 to April 20th of the same year. Hit the jump to see which films these projects may be going up against assuming they keep their most recent release times (which is certainly no guarantee).

The Weinstein Company Acquires Madonna’s W.E. for 2011 Release; Official Synopsis Revealed

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 13th, 2011 at 8:27 pm

W.E. is a curious project.  The romantic drama is the feature directorial debut of Madonna — in accordance with Blond Ambition, the narrative is split into two parts by more than six decades.  In 1998, Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) obsesses over her vision of the ideal romance between King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy) and Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough).  I suppose the conceit is not too far removed from Julie & Julia, but W.E. feels decidedly less commercial.  The Weinstein Company believes in the film and its director, though, and today acquired the U.S. distribution rights for release later in 2011.  Hit the jump for the announcement details, including an official synopsis.

The Weinstein Company Circling THE WETTEST COUNTY; Summit Acquires SNITCH

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 16th, 2011 at 5:21 pm

With the Cannes Film Festival ongoing, we’ve got a couple of acquisition stories for you today. First off, Variety reports that The Weinstein Company is in talks to grab the rights to John Hillcoat’s The Wettest County in the World. The film features a fantastic cast that includes Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Dane DeHaan, and Jessica Chastain. The story centers on two brothers who become bootleggers in the South during Prohibition. TWC has been busy at Cannes, snatching up the sure-to-be Oscar contender The Iron Lady a few days ago.

Additionally, Variety reports that Summit has grabbed U.S. distribution rights to the action thriller Snitch. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Felon), the film stars Dwayne Johnson and centers on a suburban dad who goes undercover to convict a drug dealer in order to reduce his teenage son’s 30-year prison sentence.

The Weinstein Company Acquires THE IRON LADY Starring Meryl Streep

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 14th, 2011 at 10:27 am

The Weinstein Company may have just acquired their top Oscar contender for next year’s ceremony. Yesterday, it was announced that TWC had grabbed U.S. distribution rights to the Margaret Thatcher drama The Iron Lady. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!), the film stars Meryl Streep as Thatcher, with Jim Broadbent playing her husband Denis. The Iron Lady chronicles Thatcher’s rise to become the UK’s first and only female Prime Minister. The film is set to be released sometime later this year. Hit the jump to read the official synopsis, as well as the full press release.

Open Road Films Grabs KILLER ELITE; The Weinstein Company Acquires WU XIA

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 3:48 pm

With the Cannes Film Festival in full swing, expect lots of acquisition stories this week. Today, Open Road Films, which is owned by AMC and Regal Entertainment, made its first acquisition with the U.S. rights to Killer Elite. The action-thriller, directed by Gary McKendry, stars Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. The film is inspired by true events, and centers on a retired special-ops agent (Statham) who must reunite his old team in order to rescue their mentor (De Niro). Killer Elite is set to be released this fall.

In addition, The Weinstein Company has acquired the world rights to martial arts, film noir epic Wu Xia. Directed by Ho-Sun Chan, the film stars Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Tang Wei. Hit the jump to read both press releases.

International Rights for Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED Go to Sony in Effort to Get Will Smith to Star

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 11:51 am

The Weinstein Company and Quentin Tarantino have selected Sony Pictures to internationally distribute Django Unchained.  While Universal, which handled foreign distribution for Inglourious Basterds, lobbied hard for the film, sources tell Deadline that the movie went to Sony in an effort to sign Will Smith to the lead role.  Smith has a long history with the studio dating back to 1997′s Men in Black, and as we reported on Friday, Tarantino has offered Smith the role of slave-turned-bounty-hunter Django.  The project is being billed as a “Southern”, taking the tropes of a Western and transplanting them to the American south as an attempt to look at the region’s ugly history of racism and slavery.

The role would certainly be a far cry from Smith’s upcoming film, Men in Black III, and a huge risk for the actor, but it would be unlike anything else he’s ever done in his career.  If Smith signs on, he’ll join Christoph Waltz who plays a German bounty hunter that trains Django and assists him in his quest to free his enslaved wife from a plantation owner.

Scott Mann Hired to Direct SEVEN SAMURAI Remake for The Weinstein Company

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 3rd, 2011 at 2:12 pm

Remaking Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is an exercise in futility* but so is railing against remakes.  They’re going to happen, and they’re probably not going to be as good as the original, but you’ll always have that original.  The Weinstein Company is remaking Seven Samurai but that doesn’t mean Harvey Weinstein is coming to my house and confiscating my Criterion Collection Blu-ray.  Variety reports that the studio has hired Scott Mann to helm the remake (written by Young Guns screenwriter John Fusco).  The new Seven Samurai will have a $60 million budget, reset the action from feudal Japan to modern-day Thailand, and replace the samurai with paramilitary contractors.  It’s a smart update because as we all know, the age of the paramilitary contractor is coming to an end and those mercenaries who work for companies like Blackwater are truly noble and tragic figures.

Mann’s been receiving some attention for his recent film The Tournament, but The Playlist says the flick is “pretty turgid overall.”  For those who’ve never seen Seven Samurai, I’ve included a synopsis for the film after the jump, but I want you to promise me you’ll see the movie ASAP.  Deal?

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