Weinstein
Miramax co-CEO Harvey Weinstein has pinned most of his Oscar hopes this year on a film about a small-minded town transformed by the power of chocolate.
But for 2001, Weinstein has his company on a low-fat, high-impact diet: At some 17 features, Miramax's upcoming slate is far leaner than it was back in 1994, when 36 pics appeared under the company's banner.
Weinstein also believes it's the strongest slate the 21-year-old Miramax has fielded -- and he's ready to leap back into the spotlight after a quiet year in which his brother Bob's Dimension Films supplied the lion's share of corporate profits.
"Last year, Bob and his Dimension team had the best year in their history, and drove the company to record results," Weinstein said. "This year, the Miramax label shows tremendous promise."
The label's range across almost all budgets and its inclusion of a solid mix of foreign-language fare should erase the perception that the company has abandoned the arthouse market in a quest for major crossover hits, Miramax L.A. prexy Mark Gill said.
Consistency counts
"We're not setting out to hit home runs every time," Gill said. "It's about hitting singles and doubles."
That's a message Miramax is increasingly eager to get across. Having watched Sony Pictures Classics' "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" pass its own "Life Is Beautiful" as America's highest-grossing foreign-language pic, the company is said to be stymied by its competitors' efforts to tar the company as a studio only interested in high-profit, low-rent pics like "Scary Movie."
Some of Gill's singles and doubles may come from the slate's nine acquisitions -- including recent pickups such as Gerard Pires' pic about a pair of inventive thieves, "The Heist," starring Steven Dorff and Natasha Henstridge, and John Irvin's "Shiner," in which Michael Caine stars as a man who attempts to solve the murder of his son, a boxer who threw a fight.
And Miramax doesn't plan to miss the next "Crouching Tiger"; the company has just tapped Dede Nickerson to be its Asian consultant based in Beijing.
To date, Miramax has plans to roll out seven other acquisitions in 2001 and 2002.
Among these are Hilltop Entertainment and Act III Prods. co-production "Lovers, Liars & Thieves," a Jeremy Leven-helmed pic starring Robin Williams, Renee Zellweger and Antonio Banderas, about an attempt to steal the Mona Lisa.
Late 2001 and 2002 will see the release of the Sundance pickup "In the Bedroom," a drama about a New England couple whose son is murdered, directed by Todd Field and starring Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl and Marisa Tomei; and "The Taste of Others," France's official Oscar submission, about a businessman's efforts to romance an actress.
The majority of Miramax's 2001 and 2002 slate now consists of its own productions, however.
Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, Natasha Richardson and Patrick Swayze star in the Jordan Brady-helmed comedy "Wakin' Up in Reno," about the marital troubles of two couples on a cross-country road trip. Pic's skedded for a second-quarter release.
Instant love
In the third quarter, there's "Serendipity," Peter Chelsom's comic fable about love at first sight, which stars John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven.
The Anthony Minghella production of Tom Tykwer's new pic, the love story "Heaven," starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi and based on the last script by Krysztof Kieslowski, is slated for the fourth quarter, as is "The Shipping News," Lasse Hallstrom's next pic.Mike Myers and Christian Slater have joined the cast of "A View From the Top," with Gwyneth Paltrow; Bruno Bareto lenses the comedy set for release in late 2001 or 2002.
There are several other Miramax productions due out in that time frame, including "Frida," a biopic about artist Frida Kahlo helmed by Julie Taymor and starring Salma Hayek; "Birthday Girl," a love story helmed by Jez Butterworth, with Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin; and helmer James Mangold's "Kate & Leopold," with Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman.
And March 1, Miramax will announce the results of contest Project Greenlight, whose winner gets to make a $1 million feature to be exec produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore.
Miramax continues to partner with studios and international production companies for some of its most visible projects, such as "Bridget Jones' Diary," due out April 13. The adaptation of Helen Fielding's bestselling novel was produced by Universal, Working Title and Canal Plus.
Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York," co-produced with Initial Entertainment Group, will be out in the fourth quarter.
Miramax co-productions set for late 2001 or 2002 releases include Paramount co-productions "The Four Feathers" and "The Hours."
And Rupert Everett and Colin Firth have joined Judi Dench in "The Importance of Being Earnest," the adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play, directed by Oliver Parker and co-produced with Fragile Films.
"Lucky Break" is "Full Monty" helmer Peter Cataneo's comedy about two prisoners planning an escape, starring James Nesbit, Nill Nighy, Timothy Spall and Olivia Williams. Paramount and FilmFour are co-producing, with international rights going to Miramax.
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