Variety: Miramax (and Disney) headed for divorce court? [View All]

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.

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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.

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

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