It was announced last night that The Weinstein Company, the outfit formed by Harvey and Bob Weinstein when they departed Miramax, has signed a deal with cable channel Showtime that will give the TV station the rights to air all their new movies first for the next seven years. That in itself is not particularly interesting. The names of films that came up, however, are.
Firstly, the press release ends speculation over just who will make Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards. The script for the director's war film leaked everywhere last week and has received a very positive reaction, with numerous studios said to have expressed interest. There were rumours over the weekend that Miramax had picked up the film, but Tarantino has evidently taken it to the men who gave him his career break, rather than the company they once worked for.
The second announcement, tucked away at the bottom of the release, was that TWC will be making Scream 4, another film in one of the best horror franchises of recent years.
There's no other information on the film, so we don't know if Wes Craven will direct, Kevin Williamson will script, or if Neve Campbell will star. Since the third film finished the series on a disappointing whimper after two terrific opening chapters, part of us would like to see a new film to give it the ending it deserves, but there's also a worry that it could be digging up a franchise best left undisturbed. Since the announcement says that Scream 4 will be "re-starting the Scream franchise" it's safe to assume that this won't be the end.
The Weinstein Co. has had a troublesome ride since its birth with no mega-hits and some considerable disappointments, like the box office failure of Grindhouse. Could these be the projects that push them back into the game?
So, what do you think? Does the idea of more Scream movies get your blood pumping or chill your bones?