It has been virtually impossible to miss the latest details spewing around the Internet after Sunday night’s Empire Awards in which Quentin Tarantino has dispelled rumors concerning him directing Friday the 13th Part 12 along with all his rumblings about a four-hour version of Kill Bill to be released in theaters then on home video.
First up was The Sun out of the UK, which quoted Tarantino as saying, “It will be Kill Bill the Japanese version – the four hour movie all together with an intermission in the middle. It will probably be the first release from Miramax’s new company, first at cinemas and then on DVD. It will also probably get a higher age rating. We had to cut it when Miramax was part of Disney but now we can do whatever the fuck we want.”
Okay, when “Miramax was part of Disney,” remember that, we will come back to it.
Next, a bit hit the Net today from FilmFocus.co.uk with a similar quote from Tarantino, here is what he had to say to them, “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is definitely getting a wide release… actually, that’ll probably be the first movie that Miramax, under their new company, will be releasing theatrically. It’s the Japanese version, that’s why I call it that, you know, it should probably come out in the next few months. It’s going to be NC-17 in America. We couldn’t do that when Disney owned the place but now Disney’s the fuck outta there we can do anything we want! It’s gonna be off the hook!”
Off the hizzle fa-shizzle, but out of this quote I notice “the next few months,” “NC-17” and “now Disney’s the fuck outta there.” All this is fine and dandy but I am a little baffled.
You see in the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly there is an entire article devoted to the Miramax and Disney split, which isn’t official by the way, there was even speculation as of yesterday with the announcement of Robert A. Iger as the new Disney CEO that the Weinsteins and Disney may still settle, but it was quickly announced that the announcement didn’t change a thing.
Yup, Miramax and Disney will part ways, sort of… It is probably better to say that Miramax and Disney will be parting ways with the Weinsteins. According to the EW article titled “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” the Weinsteins will not only be leaving Miramax but they will also be leaving behind an 800-plus film library that contributes considerably to an estimated overall value of $2 billion. Maybe it is just me, but wouldn’t Kill Bill 1 and 2 be part of that “800-plus film library”?
Also, Disney is keeping Miramax, so how is Tarantino going to release Kill Bill under a new Miramax without Disney when Disney still owns the movies and Miramax. Not to mention, I don’t think Disney under the head of Eisner or Iger is going to be releasing any NC-17 gore fests, at least I don’t think so.
As for this four-hour Kill Bill coming out in the next few months I don’t see that happening either, especially since I contacted my local Miramax rep and they hadn’t heard a peep about this.
The EW article also mentions that the break-up probably won’t be official until later on this year, in fact it says in August [2004], the Weinsteins received notice that their contract, which ends in September 2005, would not be extended. But, as the relationship ends the Weinsteins will receive an approximate $120 million payout when they leave, along with the already filmed Jennifer Aniston/Clive Owen thriller Derailed; a new Stephen Frears drama starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins; a pair of independently made acquisitions from this January’s Sundance Film Festival, The Matador and Wolf Creek; Breaking and Entering, a modestly budgeted Anthony Minghella film starring Jude Law; and a number of projects — including one from Tarantino, one from Kevin Smith, and Mila 18, an adaptation of a Leon Uris novel that Harvey Weinstein has long wanted to direct himself — that are currently in development. It was also mentioned that Michael Moore’s Sicko, a documentary about the U.S. health-care system, is expected to be included in the deal.
These films will be the start of the Weinsteins new studio and, yeah, there is mention of a new Tarantino film in there, but no word on what it is, and while I think we are all looking forward to this four-hour Kill Bill I don’t think the details are as clear cut as they may seem.
I may be way off and missing a few very important details, but how I read this whole scenario doesn’t make me as optimistic as all this recent news leads up to believe.
