Latest in Bill Block

EXCLUSIVE: Miramax has acquired worldwide rights to The Holdovers, the Alexander Payne-directed film that reteams him with Sideways star Paul Giamatti. David Hemingson wrote the script, Mark Johnson is producing, and the film is now greenlighted for a January start date in New England. "The vision of Alexander Payne…

What kind of market will a pandemic-slimmed virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival bring? There are half as many films as last year, with lower than usual star wattage. The two most titles most often mentioned that could spark eight-figure deals are Passing — the Rebecca Hall-directed adaptation of the Nella Larsen…

EXCLUSIVE: Miramax has named Wolfgang Hammer to become Head of Film, and executive vice president. Hammer most recently had been founder/CEO of Super Deluxe, the Time-Warner funded studio that produced short form video and TV for the millennial audience. Hammer will oversee the company's feature film development and…

UPDATED with more insight: The horror franchise reboot craze which Hollywood reaped off during the early part of the millennium looked as good as dead last year. Than this weekend, Universal/Miramax/Blumhouse’s Halloween, the 11th sequel in a 40-year-old franchise, opened to $76.2M, making it the best start ever for…

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX; Richard Shepard’s Miramax horror-thriller-drama hybrid The Perfection has been acquired by Netflix for all global rights. Netflix plans to release the title worldwide next year. Deadline hears the acquisition deal was in the high…

EXCLUSIVE: In a bold buy for the freshly recapitalized Miramax Films, Miramax CEO Bill Block has closed a $30M + world rights deal and committed to finance Toff Guys, the next film that Guy Ritchie will direct. Deadline broke news last week that Ritchie was heading toward a return to the style of inherently British…

Former Sony digital exec Robert Osher has rejoined Miramax as its Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. He will oversee the company’s new task force focusing on growing its strategy in film, TV, and mergers & acquisitions. During his seven years as President of Sony Pictures Digital Productions, SPA produced…

EXCLUSIVE: Hot on the heels of its Toronto domestic rights sale of I, Tonya to 30WEST and Neon, Miramax Films has acquired The Perfection, which will be the next film directed by The Matador and Dom Hemingway helmer Richard Shepard. Shepard wrote the script with Eric Charmelo & Nicole Snyder. Pic is a horror-thriller…

Miramax, which has been undergoing a reorganization under the helm of Bill Block, has laid off about 20 film service and delivery lab employees. The new CEO had laid off about 25 employees in May which included nearly the entire TV and film staffs including the well-respected production head Zanne Devine. The company…

EXCLUSIVE: Miramax has pre-emptively picked up the action comedy script The Armstrongs, the first major spec and first major deal brought into the company since it went through major executive changes earlier this year. The Armstrongs is said to be in the vein of Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Taken and explores the…

EXCLUSIVE: From the veranda of their suite on the Croisette, beIn Media Group founder Nasser al-Khelaifi, his general counsel Sophie Jordan and new Miramax CEO Bill Block had a message for Hollywood as it wonders what to expect from a once-heralded film label under new ownership. "Our message is that Miramax is back,"…

EXCLUSIVE: Miramax CEO Bill Block this afternoon has engaged in a substantial housecleaning that sources said will result in the layoffs of almost the entire television and film staffs at Miramax. That means 25 or possibly more of the company’s roster of 100+ staffers are losing their jobs today, a number that I’ve…