![]() ![]() Some projects that had been in development with Miramax came to an end following the departures, while others reverted to their previous creators via turnaround deals, and still others became targets for rival production companies' attempts at acquiring, the sources said. Hammer has continued working with Miramax to ensure delivery of several projects that had already been greenlit, the second source noted. The development team did score some wins - like luring director Robert Zemeckis to work on a project called "Here" featuring actors Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Paul Bettany and "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer, who is spearheading "The Beekeeper," set to star Jason Statham. ![]() One of the people said Miramax "didn't necessarily feel like it was a climate that was friendly towards development" - a process that can extend for a year or even years as scripts go through revisions and fine-tuning. Sources were granted anonymity to discuss the matter since they were not authorized to speak with reporters. During its current iteration as a production company, starting in the mid-2010s, Miramax didn't have a dedicated film group until Hammer joined - so the sources said its pivot back to acquisition, financing, and production means a return to its core focus. Control of the 44-year-old company has jostled between a series of owners in the past two decades, ranging from Disney to, more recently, a media group owned by the government of Qatar. Miramax was founded in 1979 by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. Some of these people left on their own volition, and others through layoffs, the sources added. "He's the perfect leader to take the Miramax film team into this next chapter." Hammer's credits as a production executive include "Last Vegas" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."īut less than three years later, Miramax quietly wound down its film development team, Insider has learned, and its five staffers - including Hammer, two executives, and two assistants - exited the company by the end of 2022, according to two people with direct knowledge of the departures. "Wolfgang has proven to be an innovator at the top of his field," Block, a highly-regarded filmmaker with credits including "Vanilla Sky" and "Bad Moms," added. "We aim to create a home to bold filmmakers making outstanding commercial films that not only succeed at the box office, but also stand the test of time," Bill Block, Miramax's CEO since 2017, said in a statement at the time. The goal was to resurrect some of the heat and prestige of Miramax's Oscar-laden heyday. Wolfgang Hammer, founder of the studio Super Deluxe and previously president of CBS Films and EVP at Lionsgate, was brought on as the leader of the team, whose mandate was to reel in recognized filmmakers and shepherd scripts to production. In May 2020, Miramax - the Los Angeles-based production company known through the 1990s and 2000s for iconic independent movies like "Emma," "Chicago," and "No Country for Old Men" - rolled out a new, high-powered film development team. But the 5-member team was quietly wound down in 2022, and Miramax's film ambitions are unclear. ![]() The effort was helmed by filmmaker Wolfgang Hammer, a veteran of Lionsgate and CBS Films.Miramax built out a film development team early in the pandemic to bring in new projects and filmmakers.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
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