THR.com reports that Harvey and Bob Weinstein have put together a potentially winning bid of $600 million to get back Miramax Films, the company they founded over 30 years ago and left in 2005 to form The Weinstein Company. Miramax has been available via auction and other interested parties, including
businessmen Alec and Tom Gores and a more controversial [interest] from
Hollywood wheeler-dealer David Bergstein. The details are still being worked out.
Miramax was one of the more successful independent and later independent-minded production and distribution companies. And even after the Weinsteins sold it to Disney in 1993, they still amassed a successful slate of films including sex, lies and videotape, My Left Foot, The Grifters, Reservoir Dogs, The Piano, Clerks, The Crow, Il Postino, Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, Swingers, Cop Land, Good Will Hunting, Chocolat, Amelie and a host of others. During the Weinstein tenure, Miramax also released two Best Picture winners: The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love. After their tenure, Miramax released No Country For Old Men which also won Best Picture.
The Weinstein Company has reportedly had financial difficulties and several layoffs have occurred in the past year.