WEINSTEINS GET THEIR EXCLUSIVE WINDOW TO DEAL WITH DISNEY

Both Hollywood trade publications, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, reported over the weekend that Disney has agreed to give Bob and Harvey Weinstein and their backers an exclusive negotiating period to finalize a deal to buy Miramax. Neither publication, which each cited sources close to the negotiations, indicated how long a period the window would last, but Variety said it was longer than the two days that had been mentioned by TheWrap.com, which first disclosed the matter last week. The Reporter quoted one source as saying that the sale could be closed this week, while another source predicted two weeks. In a new wrinkle on the talks, Variety said that Disney has agreed to the money offered by the Weinsteins — believed to be about $625 million — but wants to hold on to some of the films in the Miramax library, although which titles have been pulled is not clear. The trade publication suggested that they may be among the movies that have not been released, including the animated Gnomeo and Juliet; The Debt, starring Sam Worthington and Helen Mirren; The Switch, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman; and director Julie Taymor’s The Tempest, starring Mirren.