As I mention every chance I get, we at Cinematical looooove Steve Conrad's scrappy little comedy The Promotion. And now we have the official poster (courtesy of those folks over at The Weinstein Co.), which contains the words that are music to our ears: "Coming This June." Of course it's a Weinstein Co. special, so you never know, but this is certainly a good sign. The film recently had a promo screening here in Philadelphia (probably another good sign), and I convinced a few prominent local critics to attend. That means that if they didn't like it, they probably now hate me. But so be it.

According to the Weinstein Co. website, The Promotion -- which remains my favorite film of the year -- has an official release date of June 6th. And if you promise to go see it, I promise I'll shut up about it for a while.

Who's really behind the campaign to boycott all Weinstein Co. films until the original cut of Fanboys is shown in theaters? And are they the same group of people everyone thinks is behind this whole thing? I'll leave it at that. As you've probably already noticed, the whole Fanboys debacle heated up once again today when a press release announcing the Weinsteins plans to release both versions (cancer version, non-cancer version) of the film on DVD, while they "explore" theatrical options, hit the inbox of every movie blogger in the known universe.

This came on the heels of a potential boycott of the latest Weinstein Co. release, Superhero Movie, by a group of Star Wars fans who simply want to see one version -- the original version -- of their beloved Fanboys up on the big screen. Since the press release, the group has responded with plans to still go ahead and stage two large Superhero Movie protests this Friday in New York and Los Angeles. According to a Cinematical source close to the production, no one involved in the film (producers, director, etc ...) were made aware of these newest developments prior to the press release hitting the public. And apparently some folks are pissed.

They're pissed the film is being yanked around. They're pissed at the lack of progress. And they're pissed that the new director brought on (Steve Brill) knows jack about Star Wars. Seriously. Word has it the dude never even saw the original Star Wars when he was hired to re-shoot Fanboys. (But that's a rumor, it hasn't been confirmed and you didn't hear it from me ...)

We've had to wait a little bit, but the LA Times reveals today the title and plot description of Kevin Smith's new comedy -- Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Pic, which will most likely begin production this coming February in Minnesota, is described by Smith as being "a bawdy sex comedy with heart." Picked up by The Weinstein Co. after Smith had only written the title, Zack and Miri Make a Porno will chronicle two friends (yes, Zack and Miri) who, upon reaching their 30s with nothing to show for it, lots of rent problems and a 15-year high school reunion looming in the distance, decide to try and ignite an amateur porn enterprise. I imagine that might be a bit tricky in Minnesota ... during the dead of winter.

Smith goes on to say that it's ".... dirty, with nudity. But funny nudity, not gratuitous nudity." But before he dives into that, Smith hopes to first shoot his "horror" flick Red State for a measly $3 million. Aiming to give that flick a "naturalistic, drive-in feel," it appears the plot will center on a group of outsiders who stumble into "fundamentalism gone to the extreme" somewhere in Middle America. But that's all we know so far; apparently, Smith is keeping the Red State script a secret from everyone and, those interested, need an invite from Smith in order to read it. An interesting sidenote is that Rosario Dawson (who starred in Clerks II) is supposed to give it a read this week, which may or may not mean there might be a role for her somewhere in there.

Personally, I think both ideas have potential (although this isn't the first time the whole "amateur porn" angle has been used in a comedy). Honestly, I know the jokes will be funny; I'm more curious about who he casts. Will Smith call up some of his regulars, or will we get to see some fresh faces? Will he dip into the Apatow pack for Zack and Miri? Oh, and Kevin (since I know you're reading this), do drop your pals at Cinematical a line when you have some casting news (erik@cinematical.com) -- we'd love to hear from you.

In an attempt to solve their little box office problem, it appears The Weinstein Co. tested the waters this past weekend with Grindhouse; in some cases, Planet Terror and Death Proof were screened separately, while in other theaters they were screened together, but with an intermission instead of those fake trailers. The final verdict? Nothing changed. In fact, business got worse. (And it's strange, because everyone I've spoken with that saw it over the weekend said their theater was pretty packed.) According to JoBlo, they spoke to someone buried deep within The Weinstein Co. (where the vibe around the office could probably best be described as somber) and word is they've officially abandoned all plans to re-release Grindhouse later this summer as two separate films. Yay!

Harvey Weinstein reminds me of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in a lot of ways, in that he hates to lose ... especially with his best team on the field. It's possible he still has something up his sleeve regarding the Grindhouse theatrical release, though chances are folks are now looking toward the DVD. If you ask me, we'll probably see the films split up on DVD initially before receiving some sort of super deluxe extended version of Grindhouse at a later date. Here's my question: How will the Grindhouse snafu affect the rest of this summer's slate? Even though most of you felt the low box office figures had more to do with content than length, reports claim studios are contemplating trimming some of their films down.

In the last day or so, I've heard that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix might be getting chopped before hitting theaters. And, today, word is spreading that Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End comes in at just under three hours. Will Disney cave to the Grindhouse pressure and trim their film as well? It's highly unlikely, but I'll be curious to see if the always dangerous three-hour mark becomes the next "no fly zone" in Hollywood from here on out. What do you think?

Depending on which source you believe -- there's about a ten-thousand dollar difference -- Grindhouse is either holding onto the tenth spot for the weekend or it has slipped into eleventh place, behind Wild Hogs. With Friday estimates included, the film's total cume is $16.7 million; that gives it a second-weekend drop of 74%, which is just terrible any way you slice it. The per-screen average for the film is $494, which as Deadline Hollywood points out, means its "playing in near-empty theaters." If these numbers hold for Saturday, then more Americans will have turned out this weekend to see Redline, which is a movie I never gave a moment's thought to until I had to edit a review that someone did for this website yesterday, than Grindhouse, which arrived in theaters with major advertising campaign fully supported by the national media and all of the fanboy-support that the online community can muster. Wow.

I don't expect the failure of Grindhouse to have any effect on Robert Rodriguez's career, frankly. He is currently prepping Sin City 2, which is a film that will undoubtedly do big business and be well-received and erase memories of Grindhouse, but I wonder how the failure will affect Quentin Tarantino. Are the Weinsteins going to gamble on fronting his war movie, Inglorious Bastards, or are they going to gently push him towards a less expensive-sounding endeavor? Will they chalk this whole thing up to the bad taste of the American public and continue to support their signature star, much the way Warner Bros. supported Stanley Kubrick all those years? I certainly hope so.

In an attempt to grab a taste of every niche market out there, the Weinstein boys are looking to go where no Jew has gone before -- their forming a faith-based distribution label, and have partnered with Christian shingle Impact Entertainment on a first-look production deal. Yes folks, the Weinstens are on a quest to find Jesus in hopes the man will bring them lots and lots of money. Is it just me, or is this whole deal just a tiny bit odd? Then again, the Weinsteins are businessmen, and if there's a hungry audience out there, you bet they're going after them -- regardless of whether or not they celebrate Chanukah.

In a deal that's similar to the one they forged with Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson (oh yes, the boys have officially gone urban as well), The Weinstein Co. will finance, co-produce and distribute approximately six theatrical titles per year, as well as a number of straight-to-DVD releases through their homevid label Genius Products. Oh, but they're not the first giants to jump into the holy water-filled pool, Fox has already announced their own faith-based division, FoxFaith, in which the studio will help distribute (but not produce) 12 films per year.

The first two theatrical gigs for TWC will be adaptations of The Penny, by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford, and The Christmas Candle, by Max Lucado. Says Bob Weinstein about the deal, "This is a rapidly emerging and important area in the entertainment industry, and this deal fits perfectly into our strategy of acquiring and producing films that target niche audiences." I have no problem with that, so long as they eventually throw us Jews a bone too. Oh wait, perhaps that's asking a bit too much from a couple of boys named Weinstein. Oh well.

Okay, so here's a film that should strike a chord with anyone who's ever dated a cheater, a player, a pimp or, well ... you get the idea. The Weinstein Co. has snatched up the spec script Muskrat Love as a potential directing vehicle for Andy Fickman (She's the Man). Launchpad Prods. and Underground Entertainment will help produce.

Written by Martin Sweeney, story follows an egotistical hot shot who is injected with monogamy serum by the best friend of a girl he recently shoved to the curb. Assuming they snag a dynamite actor for the lead role (I know he's in everything, but I could see Vince Vaughn tapping into his excellent Swingers performance and doing a fabulous job ... baby), then Muskrat Love could end up as a spicier (and perhaps a bit edgier) version of Liar Liar. If that's the case, then I'm definitely there.

There's a certain satisfaction in reading about distribution deals for independent films that have caught your interest -- the smaller the film, the greater the satisfaction. Suddenly, there's a real possibility that you might actually get to see the film without having to live in New York or LA. And if you did catch the film at a film festival, and loved it, now you can persuade all your friends to see it too, when the movie arrives in theaters or on DVD. (If you hated it, well, then you can boast to everyone that you saw it already, that was soooo last week, and it's not worth bothering over ... and that's a whole other type of pleasure.)

When Kim reviewed Penelope (pictured right) at TIFF, I was intrigued and hoped I'd get a chance to see the movie. Fortunately, IFC and The Weinstein Company have jointly purchased the North American rights to the film produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy. Kim was worried that the movie had no clear audience, but I'm sure that IFC and the Weinsteins will find one. IFC is handling the theatrical distribution, and TWC will handle TV and video rights. My only worry is that Penelope seems to share certain superficial story elements with Gretchen, an Austin-shot feature I enjoyed at SXSW, and I hope that this buy doesn't harm Gretchen's chances at distribution.

In addition, Zeitgeist films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for the film Into Great Silence, a documentary about the Carthusian Order monastery in the French Alps. Cinematical interviewed the film's director, Philip Groening, at Sundance in January. Zeitgeist faces a challenge: marketing a nearly three-hour documentary that contains almost no dialogue, because the filmmakers respected the monastery's vows of silence. (Perhaps they could persuade Morgan Freeman to record narration? I hope not.) The distributor is planning a release timeframe of next February or March.

According to Variety, there are several new projects in the works from the Weinstein Co.:

• The Weinstein boys are in talks with Lasse Hallström (who helmed The Shipping News and Chocolat) to direct Rain in Spain, which may star the enchanting Penelope Cruz.
• Danny Boyle, director of Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, is being brought on to direct Solomon Grundy, based on a Dan Gooch book which is described as a literary fantasy novel based on the classic poem. The book has been adapted for the screen by Robert Nelson Jacobs, who is also working on the Marvel Comics adaptation of Werewolf By Night.
• Shooting will commence this spring on an as yet unnamed musical from Rob Marshall, who brought Chicago to the big screen and Annie to the small.
• As previously reported, The Great Debaters will be directed by Denzel Washington. The IMDB describes the story as, "A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship."
• Commencing shooting next spring in South Africa will be The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency from Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley). Based on the novel by Alexander McCall Smith, this is the tale of the first female detective in Botswana.
• And it seems that the modern superhero film has been around long enough to warrant its own parody (My Super Ex-Girlfriend doesn't count as it was a comedy, but not a parody). No real details available, but the title will be Superhero!

[via Coming Soon]

Odds and ends from Friday and the weekend:

• In finalizing the cast for his part of Grind House (titled Death Proof), Quentin Tarantino has brought on Michael Bacall, newcomer Omar Doom and Eli Roth. Labeled a "slasher flick" and currently shooting in Austin, the three will star alongside Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson and Rose McGowan, among others. Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror wrapped its production recently and Grind House (as a whole) is expected to invade theaters on April 6, 2007.
• 20th Century Fox has gone ahead and snatched up Adam Sztykiel's spec script Matchbreaker, with Shawn Levy to produce the comedy through his 21 Laps Entertainment. Though the plot is being kept a secret for now, it's vaguely being described as a "high-concept comedy about two guys and a girl set against a vibrant cultural backdrop, which we haven't seen in a movie before."
• Looking to add a bit more funny to their repertoire, the Weinstein Co. has signed a one-year, first-look deal with Underground Films and acquired the comedy pitch Rising Son for Underground to produce. Pic revolves around a "young American who proposes to his Japanese-American girlfriend just as they are traveling to visit her estranged family." While there, he must compete in a bunch of challenges in order to win the respect of his future father-in-law, a la Meet The Parents.

Those clever little (actually, they're not so little) Weinstein boys are hoping to turn political controversy into box office gold, as they've gone and picked up the worldwide distribution rights for the documentary Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing. Directed by Barbara Kopple (who also helmed the Oscar-winning strike doc Harlan County, U.S.A.) and produced by Cecilia Peck and Kopple, pic follows the singing group around, while documenting the aftermath of Natalie Maines' heavily publicized anti-Bush comments.

Now, I'm far from a rabid Dixie Chicks fan, but I was certainly surprised to see how hated these girls became after Maines simply stated that she was ashamed President Bush was from Texas. I mean, we're talking radio boycotts and death threats -- all because she decided to speak her mind and be truthful? Not surprisingly, the Weinsteins are looking to shove the film into theaters this November, right in time for elections. Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing will officially debut in a Gala Presentation next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Odds and ends from Thursday:

• After already lending their voices to the animated short film Igor: Unholy Frijoles, Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater and John Cleese have signed on to reprise their roles for the feature film based on the same character. This past winter, The Weinstein Co. picked up all North American distribution rights for the animated film which follows the hunchbacked lab assistant of a mad scientist who dreams of winning the Evil Scientist Fair. Slater will, once again, voice the lead role of Igor, with Buscemi playing an intelligent, sarcastic lab rabbit and Cleese taking on Igor's evil master.
• New Line is attempting to pump some life back into its remake of the classic 1940 comedy, I Love You Again. The original, which starred Myrna Loy and William Powell, tells the story of a business man who, after building a nice life for himself, realizes he's been suffering from amnesia for the past seven years and used to be a con man. Studio has now tapped the writing team of Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir to pen the script, after striking a deal for the remake back in 2004 and assigning it to scribe Andrew Bergman. With Adam Sandler's Happy Madison involved, unfortunately, I'd look for Rob Schneider's name to pop up soon.
• The always reliable, yet often spooky John Malkovich will star alongside Jeremy Sisto in Gardens of the Night, to be directed by Damian Harris. Pic will delve deep into the world of child abduction following an 8-year-old boy and girl who are taken from their homes and told their families do not want them anymore. After being held hostage for nine years, the two are suddenly set free and must find a way to survive on the streets. Production will begin next month in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Hurray for U.S. distribution! Those ever-elusive Weinstein boys have acquired the U.S. rights to Like Minds, the Aussie/British thriller produced for roughly $8 million. Pic, which will make its worldwide debut at the Melbourne International Film Festival, stars Toni Colette as a forensic psychologist who is assigned by cops to determine whether there is enough evidence to charge a 17-year-old in the shotgun death of his schoolmate. Written and directed by Gregory Read, the film also stars Richard Roxburgh and newcomer Tom Sturridge. No word yet on when Like Minds will head our way.

In related news, Zietgist Films have snatched up all U.S. rights to Iklimler (The Climate). The Turkish-French production, which took home the Fipresci Award at this year's Cannes Festival, is a deep relationship drama that revolves around a husband and wife (played by real-life spouses Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Ebru Ceylan) and their deteriorating marriage. Written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, pic was shot entirely on HD video with plans to debut it here in the States sometime this fall.

Odds and ends from Friday/Saturday:

• An interesting trio of stars have lined up to play roles in The Take, to be directed by Brad Furman. According to Production Weekly, John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez and Tyrese Gibson are attached to the heist flick, which was penned by siblings Josh and Jonas Pete. Story will surround a security guard (Leguizamo) who gets caught up in a carefully orchestrated heist. While recovering from the dramatic event, he learns the FBI and police are targeting him as their prime suspect. Damn, talk about a guy that deserves a pay raise.
• While I'm sure Martha is still holding out hope the Weinstein's remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai will mysteriously disappear and never happen ... like, ever, it does appear everything is going forward as planned since a scribe has now been attached. Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo, Young Guns) has been tapped to bring a little bit of the American west to 16th Century Japan. Seeing as Kurosawa originally used the Western for inspiration during Samurai, this seems like a logical choice. Whether or not the remake should happen in the first place? Well, that's a debate I'm sure will heat up as time goes on.
• Those of you who have been waiting for a sequel to the comedy classic Animal House may get a chance to see the whole thing play out in real life. Authorities recently raided the Alpha Delta fraternity house that inspired the1978 hit film. Located at Dartmouth College, police confiscated a computer, videotapes and two sledgehammers. Though no one is saying what this is all about (and if Alpha Delta is now on double secret probation), the police chief did note that it was not drug related. Animal House scribe, Chris Miller, was a member of the same fraternity when he graduated from Dartmouth in 1964 and later used his experience to help create the wonderful characters we've grown to love over the years.