Seems like hours...Weinstein, Rudin at it again (THR, TBP, TOH, THB, DEF)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin are in locked in an intense back-and-forth over whether to release the Weinstein Co. war-crimes drama "The Reader" in 2008 or wait until next year. The Hollywood Reporter weighed in on the subject late Monday with other outlets now following suit. Weinstein is reportedly pushing for a December release while Rudin, who has other Oscar candidates on deck, is lobbying for a 2009 debut.

The film, directed by Stephen Daldry and starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, is a romance set in postwar Germany based on Bernhard Schlink's novel. It has tested strongly in screenings although the film is not entirely completed.

The Weinsteins upcoming award hopefuls include Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," starring Viggo Mortensen and World War II spy drama "Shanghai," starring John Cusack.

But, “The Reader,” based on an Oprah-endorsed book, has the sort of pedigree that the Academy loves.

Rudin, meanwhile, has "Revolutionary Road," a reteaming of Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and the Broadway transfer "Doubt," with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

With Winslet in both "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader," she could also up competing against herself.

Further adding to the intrigue is that "The Reader" was produced by the late Anthony Minghella and the late Sydney Pollack. Weinstein worked closely with both filmmakers during their careers and is convinced that this fall is the ideal window for the movie's release, says THR.

Insiders familiar with this situation were split on who would prevail, says the Reporter. But as release options dry up as the season progresses, a decision will have to be made soon.

Weinstein and Rudin have faced off before, notably over “The Hours,” another Stephen Daldry movie.

But there also are contractual clauses that could give Weinstein the edge if he wants to push it further. One person familiar with the discussions, told THR, "Harvey is probably going to win this one, but Scott isn't going to go down without a fight."

Still, opines Patrick Goldstein, “Does Harvey Weinstein really need another Oscar movie this fall? That's the bottom-line question.”

And, the biggest problem may be that the film isn't finished. Daldry is posting but is also directing "Billy Elliot: The Musical," which debuts on Broadway in November but goes into previews next week.

If worse comes to worse, notes the Thompson on Hollywood blog, Daldry may have to enforce his DGA cutting rights which give him until late January to deliver, and he is a final cut director.

The Hot Blog also notes that a detail missing from the current reporting is that “Kate Winslet declared months ago that she will not do press for ‘The Reader’ if Harvey releases it against her husband's film, ‘Revolutionary Road’.”

“The point is... it has nothing to do with Harvey's will vs Rudin's... it has little to do with the quality of the movie... like so many decisions made by cash-tight companies in this town these days, it is about the bottom line and everything else is a distraction." (THB)

Handicapping the duel, Defamer gives the edge to Rudin.