The indie king on TV’s appeal, wooing Trayvon Martin’s family and his dream to produce the Oscars (with Spielberg) — just don’t ask about Malia
Ask Harvey Weinstein if he’s mellowed with age, and the famously brash mogul acknowledges “mellow” may not be the most apt descriptor. “Sometimes I wake up in the morning and just have to be tenacious,” says the Queens-born co-chairman of The Weinstein Co. “That’s what the job calls for.”
Weinstein, 65, once churned out Oscar bait (Shakespeare in Love, The Artist) like an unrivaled heavyweight, but as the industry has become dominated by $200 million studio films, and deep-pocketed streaming services stalk the festival circuit, he has shifted his attention and enthusiasm elsewhere: His TV division, which he tried and failed to sell to ITV in 2015, is responsible for forthcoming projects with David O. Russell, Matthew Weiner and Jay Z.
On the film side, where the roughly 120-employee company has suffered significant turnover and has made a habit of pushing back release dates, TWC is readying The Current War with Benedict Cumberbatch and Mary Magdalene, directed by Garth Davis, to follow 2017 best picture nominee Lion.
The father of five (ages 4 to 21) and husband of fashion designer Georgina Chapman invited THR to his Tribeca offices, where seemingly every inch of wall or shelf space is lined with letters and photographs designed to impress and intimidate in equal measure. There are notes from past presidents and first ladies and shots of Weinstein with Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah Winfrey and Ari Emanuel, to name just a few. In a wide-ranging conversation, he addressed the financial health of his company and his plan to combat Trump.
With Netflix and Amazon now dominating the film festivals, where does that leave traditional indies?
This story is from the April 13, 2017 edition of The Hollywood Reporter.
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This story is from the April 13, 2017 edition of The Hollywood Reporter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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