R.I.P. Miramax

R.I.P. Miramax

After the purchase of Miramax studios by Disney, many feared the great indie label’s demise. Well, as the Sundance Film Festival, of which Miramax was often a mainstay comes to a close, their fears are realized.

As of this week, the New York and Los Angeles offices will be shutting down, as Disney is rejecting the buyout options of the Weinstein’s, the companies previous owners. With the labels demise comes 80 people now jobless, and the movies shelved, possibly permanently.

The label saw is responsible for the rise of directors like Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy), Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction), Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies and Videotape) and Peter Jackson, amongst others. Director, Kevin Smith noted “I’m crushed to see it pass into history, because I owe everything I have to Miramax. Without them, I’d still be a New Jersey convenience store register jockey in practice, not just in my head.”

Among the movies now shelved come some notable projects, two with Sam Worthington in The Debt and Last Night, the latter of which was supposed to come out in March and included Kiera Knightly; Julie Taymor’s filmed version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Troy Nixey and Guillermo del Toro’s remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

The studio, originally started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein was named after the their parents, Max and Miriam. Harvey Weinstein commented, saying “I'm feeling very nostalgic right now. I know the movies made on my and my brother Bob's watch will live on as well as the fantastic films made under the direction of Daniel Battsek. Miramax has some brilliant people working within the organization and I know they will go on to do great things in the industry."

Check out the C.L. Post with added video!