I think this'll be my last Outlander post for a while; you're probably sick of hearing about it by now. But I think I owe you this one as a matter of follow-through. You see, the buzz on the internets is that, as feared, the Weinstein Company is sending the nearly $50 million dollar Vikings-fight-aliens adventure film to direct-to-DVD oblivion.

The source of this semi-substantiated rumor is that a couple of online DVD retailers, such as Movies Unlimited and Amazon have listed a November 18th, 2008 release date for the movie, with Movies Unlimited now accepting pre-orders. No theatrical release date was ever announced, and needless to say, if the DVD release date is accurate, it rules out any sort of theatrical appearance.

I guess I'm a little surprised at the dump, simply because the movie's so darn expensive. But it's the Weinsteins, theatrical releases themselves cost a lot of money, and this was more of a cult item from the start anyway. In any case, November is certainly sooner than I expected to be able to see the thing.

Important to note that there's no official confirmation from the distributor on the DVD release, so this could all be one big mistake. But it doesn't look good.

[via SlashFilm]

Earlier today, Peter wrote up a piece on movie mogul Harvey Weinstein explaining how The Weinstein Company created their division Third Rail as a dumping ground for movies they feel have only "ancillary value." Harvey and his younger brother and business partner, Bob, have been under a bit of an attack since ditching Disney/Miramax for their own shingle back in 2005, with a lot of sharks swimming the waters surrounding them, just waiting for enough money to bleed through the Weinstein's fingers.

An article over at the Sunday Telegraph by Tom Teodorczuk goes into some fairly good detail about the troubles facing the beleagured brothers. You can read the full piece yourself to see his analysis; suffice it to say that the Weinsteins have yet to bring that old Miramax magic to their independent shingle, probably for a variety of reasons, not the least of which include the troubles facing the indie film world generally. As Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeff Wells, quoted in the piece, notes, "The Weinsteins have suffered from the same pressures affecting the indie film sector that everyone else faces. There is a glut of product owing to hedge fund firms now investing in films."

When two movies with similar plots hit theaters around the same time, it usually just reveals the vapidity of Hollywood formula (as was the case when Deep Impact and Armageddon came out a few months apart). The situation changes, however, when the subject matter has far more thematic weight. Defamer's S.T. VanAirsdale points out the potential conflict brewing now that The Weinstein Company has picked up U.S. theatrical, DVD and television rights to the 2004 German film Operation Valykrie, a dramatization of the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hilter during World War II. Sound familiar? That's because Bryan Singer's upcoming 2009 release, Valkyrie, tells precisely the same story, with Tom Cruise in the role of would-be assassin Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg. In the German movie, the character is played by Sebastian Koch, the debonair star of The Lives of Others and Paul Verhoeven's Black Book.

In addition to the overlapping content, VanAirsdale points out another potential conflict: Koch's female co-star in Black Book, the alluring Carice van Houten, stars opposite Cruise in Valkyrie, creating the sort of meaty overlap that money can buy. Harvey Weinstein's no slouch when it comes to instigating controversy, but his company hasn't exactly had the best of luck with its recent daring titles (few turned out for Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?). Personal drama has impacted Cruise's films before, but this might be the rare case where he would have nothing to do with it.

The Scream franchise is one that's always pissed me off. The first film was dynamite -- a real gem -- but then the second two were bought at Costco and dressed up to slightly resemble the first film, only it wasn't hard to spot the faults. In a minute I'll tell you exactly how I think the franchise should've ended, but first off the news: According to this really weird blog called, quite simply, The Weinstein Company, the boys have officially greenlit Scream 4. It appears as if this is some sort of company blog promoting all things Weinstein, but I still have to warn you to take this with a grain of salt, even if it does come with quotes.

Anyway, here's the so-called official announcement: "The Scream franchise has become a cult classic. Together, all three movies have grossed over $300 million at the box office, just in the United States alone. The fans have been asking for a 4th Scream movie for years and we're finally giving it to them. As far as details go, we're only in the planning stages and we may not get around to it [Scream 4] for quite some time, but rest assured, it will happen." A second quote says there isn't even a script yet, and I very much doubt this will be a pre-strike priority flick, so it's greenlit but we won't see it actually hit theaters for awhile. I know the Weinsteins have been trying to pull a fourth flick together for years, but both Wes Craven and Neve Campbell were never interested. Personally, I don't see why Campbell wouldn't do it -- I mean, what else is she doing (oh wait, she starred in three episodes of Medium ... nevermind). So we'll see.

My friend and I always get all worked up when it comes to the Scream series. Shortly after the third film came out, we talked for hours and practically re-wrote (through our conversation) the entire ending. In our minds, we think Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) should've been the mastermind behind all the killings throughout all three films. This is something that should've been planned in advance (and he survived the first film, so they had time to do it), and it would've been an outcome that made so much more sense. He's the horror geek. He wanted to plan the perfect trilogy. He's the one who should've orchestrated everything -- not some long-lost brother (WTF was up with that plot twist???). Anyway, who knows where they'll go with a fourth film (God bless the screenwriter in charge of trying to come up with a workable story), but I've seen crazier films hit the multiplex.

[via JoBlo]

Those Weinsteins don't waste a minute! IndieWIRE reports that the Weinstein Company has bought the Toronto International Film Festival entry Boy A before it even screens there. The deal was finalized Friday; the film premieres Saturday. Talk about beating the rush.

Based on a novel by Jonathan Trigell, Boy A is a drama about a young man released from prison after spending most of his life there for a serious crime he committed when he was a child. The director is John Crowley, his second theatrical feature after 2003's ensemble comedy Intermission, which played out like a violent version of Love Actually. Boy A's cast includes Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Katie Lyons, and Shaun Evans.

The Weinsteins' luck has been bad the last couple years, with very few hits and a lot of box office flops. But one thing they've generally been good at is sniffing out winners at film festivals. Buying Boy A before it even premieres suggests they spotted a good one and didn't want to risk someone else grabbing it -- that, or they're getting desperate. Hopefully we'll have some insight from our crew members in Toronto after the film screens there.

As we reported here at Cinematical before, the Brothers Weinstein and producer Mace Neufeld are currently developing a feature film version of the 80s hit television series The Equalizer -- which starred the late Edward Woodward as a man with a past who atoned for his sins by helping people who couldn't help themselves. To further recap for those of you who don't like clicking links, the movie will be directed by Scottish director Paul McGuigan and as yet, the search for a new Robert McCall is still underway. Although, the rumor mills have been buzzing lately with talk of Russell Crowe taking on the role but I highly doubt he will. Still, its fun to think about as he would be excellent in the part.

Earlier today, I was catching up on my newsfeeds and read Matt Dentler's description of the Saturday night Toronto premiere of the teen horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, the audience for was chock-full of distributors. Sure enough -- not two hours later, I learned that Dimension Films, the genre arm of The Weinstein Company, acquired the film for worldwide distribution. After hearing Dentler describe the film as a slasher flick with "more than enough humor and originality in the film to keep it interesting," I'm looking forward to the opportunity to see it. (Especially since IMDb says that Texas musician Robert Earl Keen has a role.)

The Weinstein Company also bought the distribution rights to Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show, which premiered at TIFF on Friday. The title evokes all kinds of bizarre possibilities, but it turns out to be a documentary about comedians (including Vince Vaughn) travelling across the U.S. on a series of stand-up comedy evenings. I didn't recognize the other comedians' names, but the "guest stars" include Peter Billingsley, whom I haven't seen onscreen since his child-actor days, and Justin Long, whom I recently saw briefly in Idiocracy.

You know how sometimes, when you just go along to a movie because you're bored, you accidentally stumble upon something awesome, because your expectations are so low? Well, 10 years ago, I was dragged along to see The Ghost and the Darkness, and I freaking LOVED it. I had no idea what it was going to be about, but there were Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer, running around trying to kill lions in the middle of Africa. It was silly, sure, but also effectively tense, and just totally engaging, somehow. Clearly I don't see enough good movies, because I still remember how much fun that one was to watch.

And, because of my affection for that one lions-with-a-taste-for-human-flesh movie, I'm irrationally excited about the news that The Weinstein Company has picked up distribution rights to Prey, a thriller about ... lions! Woo hoo! The movie, currently in post-production, stars Bridget Moynahan and Peter Weller as the biggest names on a family vacation in Africa. Ooooh, but the fun ends when they "become lost in a game reserve and stalked by lions." Can I get an "Amen" here, people? Lord am I excited about this movie. Plus, it was co-written and directed by Darrell James Roodt who, based on Cry, the Beloved Country, might not be a complete hack. (Yes, I'm ignoring Father Hood. So should you.) Rest assured that the moment a release date is revealed, I'll let you know.

I bet you never thought you'd see the day when a government-funded historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan, shot over three years with three directors, would get distribution in the US, huh? I know it's almost impossible to believe, but it's true: The Weinstein Company has picked up North American (and Australian, New Zealand and South African) rights to Nomad, a $35 million film that is being described as "the Kazakh Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," whatever that means.

Originally funded in its entirety by the Kazakh government and starring a bizarre mix of North American (Jay Hernandez, Jason Scott Lee, Kuno Becker) and Kazakh (Dilnaz Akhmadieva, Ayana Yesmagambetova, Doskhan Zholzhaksynov) actors, the film's original $20 million budget was somehow spent even before production began. Because they either really believed in the project or had nothing better to do with the cash, the government turned around and ponied up $15 million extra; the movie (originally shot in English, then dubbed into Kazakh) finally had its long-awaited premiere at the Locarno Film Festival over the weekend.*

No date has yet been announced for the American release.

*On the IMDb, there's a report that TWC came in late to help fund the film, and actually demanded changes, but I'm unable to find any confirmation of this story. If anyone can provide a link to details, stick it in the comments and I'll edit the post.

For a reason no one can fathom, The Weinstein Company has bought the rights to The Nutty Professor, and are planning an animated film "based on the original." So, basically, it's another remake. Apart from Jerry Lewis, who seems to sell the movie's rights off every time they revert to him, who thinks this is a good idea?

According to a story that originated in The Hollywood Reporter, Lewis himself will voice at least two characters in the feature, which will go straight to video (that's something at least). And, get this: To make the movie appealing to kids, the story will focus on Professor Kelp/Buddy Love's college-age grandson, who is just as big a nerd as his grandpa. And, you guessed it, the kid "takes the same formula his grandfather took and unleashes an ultracool but comically destructive alter ego." For this, people, they've hired a new screenwriter: Straight-to-video specialist Evan Spiliotopoulos, whose resume includes work on The Lion King 1½ and The Jungle Book 2. What, Jerry wasn't available to paste the words "internet" and "MySpace" into his 1963 script?