Variety: Miramax (and Disney) headed for divorce court?

[villager]

Miramax headed for divorce court?
Co. rounding up suitors as rift with Mouse House widens

By MEREDITH AMDUR, JILL GOLDSMITH



NEW YORK -- Miramax power duo Bob and Harvey Weinstein's fractious negotiations to renew their contracts at Disney beyond 2005 have hit a Pixar-like impasse.

Should the two sides fail to extend their deal in the next few weeks, a private investor team -- backed by financier Steven Rattner and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts along with several Wall Street lenders -- is apparently prepared to back a new shingle for the Miramax founders.

Current talks to extend the Weinsteins' deal for another four years after it expires in 2005 have no doubt been exacerbated by the current fracas surrounding Disney's refusal to distribute the Michael Moore documentary "Fahrenheit 911." Disney this week apparently rejected Miramax's proposal to buy Moore's controversial film back for $6 million plus costs in order to find a new distributor.

<snip>

Miramax meanwhile is prepping for a legal battle on the pic and has retained high-profile attorney David Boies in an effort to resolve the doc's distribution fate. Case could go to arbitration in coming days. But the stalemate with Disney CEO Michael Eisner over future terms for the Miramax team dates back long before the Moore controversy.

<snip>

Disney would certainly feel heat from Wall Street if it lost another key creative contributor after Pixar slammed the door on its negotiations.

more at Variety's subscription site: www.variety.com

[IndianaGreen]

1. Hint: It's Eisner, stupid!

Eisner is hanging on to Disney as Blair is to his job as PM. His days are numbered. Losing Pixar was a major blunder. Losing Miramax is just icing on the cake!

[LynneSin]

2. Absolutely

I'm so glad the Weinsteins are going to make the effort to get Michael Moore's movie distributed despite the idiots at Disney.

Eisner's days are numbered every since Comcast almost took them over.

[SideshowScott]

3. First PIXAR now Marimax??? WTF is going on at Disney?

They lost Pixar and that was a blow that Disney will take a while to recover from and if they lose Marimax then Disney will be in BIG TIME trouble.. What in the hell is going on over there? Is Eisner trying to deep six the company to drive the value down for a buy out from another cooperation or something? Ya know I really used to have alota respect for the house of the mouse but the events in the past year ( Roy Disney leaving, ABC floundering, The Pixar deal falling apart, gutting the animation dept, The Mike Moore fiasco ) has really left me wondering what in the world is going on over there..If I was a Major shareholder id be raising hell!!
Eisner MUST go!

[NuttyFluffers]

4. *sigh* the world is spinning so fast

i see the wisdom of the saying now, "no news is good news."

pixar and now miramax. rock on guys, escape while you can. the calcified ivory tower of moneyed media elites is starting to shatter. let's see how many companies (and *shudder* countries) are left in the wake of this presidency and age of madness....

[0rganism]

5. Not good. Disney is seriously stonewalling Moore's film now

Before, I figured they'd just give Jebby some lip service by dissing Moore, sell their part of the production cost back to Miramax in exchange for distro rights thru an alternative distributer, and let bygones be. Now, it looks like they're either planning to scuttle the project, or up the ante considerably.

Ick.

[villager]

6. kickin'...

...for the A.M.