The Weinsteins Win Back Miramax for $600 Million - Updated

The Weinsteins Win Back Miramax for $600 Million - Updated: "

And we're right back at where we started. THR is reporting that Hollywood powerplayers Bob and Harvey Weinstein have won the auction for the indie distributor Miramax today with a top bid of around $600 million. Where they got that money, I don't know. Miramax was founded in 1979 by the Weinsteins and sold to Disney in 1993. They then started their own company, The Weinstein Company, which still runs today, but has been on the verge of closing down due to a lack of successful films in recent years. In January, it was reported that Miramax would 'close its doors' and be auctioned off, including the 611 films in its library.

This is almost kind of funny, just because it's so odd to see the Weinsteins cycle back around to owning the company they started. The same company that shut down this year because they haven't had much success recently either. Why would they be interested in running Miramax again? And where did they get that kind of money? Here's the answer: the Weinsteins have been partnering with a billionaire financier named Ron Burkle who has other investors involved as well. So while it's Burkle and his people who actually own it, it'll be the Weinsteins who run it. The name actually came from the names of their parents Max & Miriam.

THR says that Disney is still 'going over the financial details provided by the Weinsteins,' so this won't be officially announced for a little while. I'm not really sure what to say to this. I thought the Weinsteins we're slowly fading away, but this means they must be trying to make a hell of a comeback. And what will happen to The Weinstein Company? So many questions, but so few answers. But we'll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest. Do you think Miramax can return to power being run by the Weinsteins again?

Update: Well despite THR's claim that this is pretty much a done deal, Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood says otherwise. She says that Disney told her on the record that 'no [Miramax] deal done and reports to the contrary are false.' Well this just gets more and more interesting. So who should we believe? Is Disney just playing coy because this got out much earlier than they wanted it to? We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure!

Discover More: Movie News, Opinions, Rumors

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Lars Von Trier Casts Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland in Melancholia

Lars Von Trier Casts Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland in Melancholia: "

Gotta hope Kirsten Dunst knows what she’s getting into. The former Mary Jane Watson has signed, along with Kiefer Sutherland and several others, to appear in Melancholia, the new film from Lars von Trier. Not by any stretch the kindest of directors, Trier has been known to test his actresses in outlandish and subversive ways. What rigors can Dunst expect to endure?Read the rest of this post on SlashFilm.com…

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Avatar is Getting a Quick IMAX 3D Re-Release This Weekend

Avatar is Getting a Quick IMAX 3D Re-Release This Weekend: "

It is our duty to bring you news and information about movies showing in theaters, so we have to let you know about the upcoming re-release of James Cameron's Avatar in theaters this weekend, even though I don't really understand the point of it. AMC will be re-showing Avatar in 61 theaters in 29 cities in the US on April 16th and 17th (Friday and Saturday) in glorious IMAX 3D. The real reason is that Avatar hits DVD and Blu-Ray on April 22nd (Earth Day!) next week and this is your very last chance to see Avatar 'the way director James Cameron intended it to be experienced.' I'm not sure this is truly your last chance, though.

The only bad news is that the only showtimes for Avatar are at 11PM at night on Friday and Saturday. What the heck AMC? Why choose the absolute worst times to show a 3 hour movie? If you still want to go, you can click here for info on locations and tickets. This is not the extended cut of Avatar will be released back into IMAX theaters sometime in late summer. This is simple a double-dip last minute cash grab to get people out to see Avatar in theaters before it hits DVD and I'm not sure that many people care. Unfortunately this is a pretty half-assed attempt on AMC's part. I think they should be running it more than just at 11PM, come on!

I'm planning on picking up Avatar next week on Blu-Ray and watching it when I get it then. But I don't plan on re-watching it in theaters (in 3D) until the extended release hits sometime later this year. Anyone else?

Discover More: Hype, Movie News, Opinions

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Watch This: Crazy Fun New International Knight & Day Trailer

Watch This: Crazy Fun New International Knight & Day Trailer: "

Fox has debuted a new international trailer for their summer action movie Knight & Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. We've already seen at least two other official US trailers for this, so there's not much new footage or story that we get to see this time around. To be honest, I'm actually getting a bit tired of watching trailers for this. They're designed the same way: 'It was some guy who was a terrorist!' then we meet Cruise again and go on a wild ride for the rest of it. In fact, this may literally be the exact same trailer as the other new one, but whatever. I'm still excited for this, but I don't need to see more footage. Enjoy!

Watch the new international trailer for Knight & Day:

An action-comedy that follows a fugitive couple on a deadly adventure where nothing is what it seems.

Knight & Day, formerly known as Wichita or Trouble Man, is directed by New York-born filmmaker James Mangold, of 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, Identity, Kate & Leopold, Girl Interrupted, and also Cop Land previously. The screenplay was written by first-timer Patrick O'Neill whose only other writing credit is on a TV show called 'Dead Last.' 20th Century Fox is bringing Knight & Day to theaters (thankfully not in 3D, as far as we know) starting on June 25th this summer. Looking forward to seeing this in theaters or not?

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Joss Whedon Rewriting Captain America & Avengers Scripts?

Joss Whedon Rewriting Captain America & Avengers Scripts?: "

This latest 'rumor of the day' (although it seems more legitimate than inaccurate) from Pajiba claims that the recently announced director of Marvel's The Avengers movie, geek favorite Joss Whedon, will also be polishing the script for Captain America: The First Avenger. Variety also mentioned ever so briefly that Whedon is rewriting The Avengers script that was originally written by Zak Penn. This is fantastic news for everyone who thinks Whedon is a better writer (for TV, movies, and comics) than he is a director, as Pajiba says Marvel brought on Whedon in order for him to help beyond just directing that one movie.

Obviously none of this is confirmed and Marvel probably won't make any official statements for a while, but I have a feeling this is accurate. I've said time and time again that Marvel Studio's President Kevin Feige is one of the smartest execs working in Hollywood and he knows how to find the smartest filmmakers out there. While Whedon doesn't have a lot of experience in feature films (give or take Serenity), he makes up for it in his experience with and knowledge of comics (and all things geek). Therefore, his input will be very valuable to Marvel. He's also great with ensemble casts and multiple characters, which their movies have.

Screenwriter Zak Penn (Behind Enemy Lines, X2, X3, The Grand, The Incredible Hulk) has been working on The Avengers script for years. We ran an article in May of 2007 with a quote from Penn saying 'Avengers is definitely going to happen.' He even once talked about possibly going all CG or 3D with The Avengers back in 2008, since I remember that being a big story at the time. That said, I'm glad someone like Joss Whedon is rewriting his Avengers script, because I think it needs a fresh, new take that I'm hoping Whedon will give it. Whatever the case, I'm still extremely excited for everything coming up from Marvel. Same with you?

Discover More: Hype, Movie News, Rumors

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Casting Tidbits: Olivia Wilde, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Bacon

Casting Tidbits: Olivia Wilde, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Bacon: "

Once these Casting Tidbits hit 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit. First up, THR reports Kevin Bacon has joined the cast of the new Steve Carell dramatic vehicle from writer Dan Fogelman, which started out untitled, was suddenly being called Crazy, Stupid Love, and is now back to being untitled. The story centers on Carell, whose wife (Julianne Moore) wants a divorce. To salvage their marriage, he uses a slick life coach (Ryan Gosling) to reform him. Bacon will play a co-worker of Moore's, an alpha male who begins an affair with her. I can definitely seeing Bacon stealing some poor man's wife and loving it.

Next, Variety reports Viola Davis (Doubt) is in talks to star in The Help, the adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name about African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in pre-Civil Rights era Mississippi. Tate Taylor wrote the script and will direct. Davis will play the role of Aibileen, the maid, while Emma Stone is still in talks to play Eugenia Skeeter Phelan a young aspiring writer just home from college who returns home with the intention of writing a tell-all book, fueled by the stories of the servants.

Next up, Production Weekly reports via Twitter that the gorgeous Eva Longoria Parker will star in a supernatural horror film called Tenement which will start shooting next month in New York. Directed by former choreographer Franc. Reyes, the project is said to have comparisons to The Exorcist. From Reyes himself: 'Telling the story of Tenement fuses The Exorcist, Amityville Horror and Rosemary’s Baby.' But we don't know anything else about the story or the project besides those basic details.

And the last tidbit is a big one as Movieline reports Olivia Wilde and Alicia Silverstone have joined the cast of the satirical comedy Butter, while Variety adds that Hugh Jackman has also been tossed into the mix as well. The film tells the story of a young orphan girl who, after being adopted by a Midwestern family, discovers that she has an incredible talent for butter-carving. She eventually finds herself up against the ambitious wife (Garner) of the retired reigning champion in a town's annual butter-sculpting contest.

We're a little confused by the previous casting news because we thought Corddry was taking the role of Garner's husband, but it looks like Ty Burrell is playing the former butter carving champion husband, while Wilde will play his mistress, a tattooed stripper with a Betty Page hairdo. So we're no sure exactly who Corddry's character is in all this. Meanwhile, Jackman portrays an old flame of Garner's character, while Silverstone will play the adoptive mother of a teen girl who becomes a major contender in the butter-carving competition. So there you have it.

Well, that's all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way.

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Knight and Day International Movie Trailer

Knight and Day International Movie Trailer: "

20th Century Fox has released a new international (UK) movie trailer for the new Tom Cruise action/comedy Knight and Day. Directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line / 3:10 to Yuma / Girl, Interrupted), the film centers on a fugitive couple (played by Cruise and Cameron Diaz) on a “glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.” The film also feratures Maggie Grace, Peter Sarsgaard, Marc Blucas, Paul Dano, and Viola Davis. Watch the trailer now after the jump. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Read the rest of this post on SlashFilm.com…

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