Scott Rudin leaves ‘Reader’

After a long and bruising battle with Harvey Weinstein over Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader,” producer Scott Rudin is leaving the project and taking his name off the film.
Weinstein and Rudin have never gotten along. They clashed over Daldry’s 2002 “The Hours,” also written by David Hare, and again over the post-production schedule of “The Reader.”

Rudin, the winner of the best picture Oscar for last year’s “No Country for Old Men,” had first tried to push the World War II romance starring Kate Winslet back to 2009, because he didn’t want to campaign for an Oscar along with “Doubt” and “Revolutionary Road,” which also stars Winslet.

- from Variety

Rudin and Weinstein issue Oscars truce over ‘The Reader’

Looks like Kate Winslet will continue to ride two Oscar ponies on the best actress derby track.

Forget the vicious gossip you’ve been hearing that Scott Rudin is battling behind the scenes to stop Harvey Weinstein from pushing up the release of the film they produced together, “The Reader” so it can land in this Oscar derby. Rudin also produced “Revolutionary Road,” which stars Kate Winslet too and is a major contender for Oscars.

Some of the rumors have been juicy. One is that Rudin will trip Harvey up with a nasty lawsuit. Another claims that Winslet told Harvey that, if he continues with this reckless plan to release “The Reader” on Dec. 12, she’ll refuse to do any Oscar campaigning. Actors, remember, can be nominated for only one film per category, and it’s logical to assume that she’d prefer to be nominated for her role in “Revolutionary Road,” directed by her husband, Sam Mendes (Oscar champ, “American Beauty”). Read more about both pix HERE.

Another rumor claims that Harvey’s so hellbent to get “The Reader” out in time for the next Oscars that he’ll release it in December even if it’s not quite finished. The film was still in rough cut when it was screened recently in Manhattan, generating such positive reax that Harvey pushed up its release. It’s true that “The Reader’s” director has another major, timely demand weighing on him right now: Stephen Daldry is rushing to debut the stage adaptation of “Billy Elliot” on Broadway Nov. 13.

But to clear up all of these dramas, Rudin and Weinstein just issued this notice: “We are issuing this statement together to emphasize the fact that we are in complete agreement on the date we have chosen to release ‘The Reader.’ Working together, we developed a plan to extend the post-production schedule in order to give Stephen Daldry the additional time he needs to successfully complete the film in time to release it on December 12, 2008.”

- from LAtimes

Scott Rudin just wants ‘Glory’

Scott Rudin might soon be taking another stab at glory by adapting the high-society memoir “Oh the Glory of It All” for the screen. Miramax has the inside track as the most likely production partner.

Sean Wilsey’s book chronicles his time growing up amid the 1980s San Francisco elite. The cast of characters who raised Wilsey seem to have jumped straight out of a John Irving novel: a drama-prone globetrotting mother who asks her son to commit suicide with her, a distant father who enjoys unnecessary helicopter rides, and a truly wicked stepmother. The book tracks his journey from the dubious role models to a tour of boarding schools and an Italian “therapeutic community.”

Via HR

Scott Rudin sets up another one…

Scott Rudin, Alexandra Milchan, Aimee Peyronnet and Miramax Films are set to produce writer Ann Cherkis’ darkly comic drama “Man Under,” snagging the script in a low- to mid-six figure deal.

The “American Beauty”-esque story revolves around the drab, depressed and dysfunctional members of a suburban family. A young photographer who takes their family portrait is murdered and the photo makes its way to her high-profile museum retrospective, thrusting them into the spotlight of a trendy art scene and changing their lives dramatically.

Via HR

Oscar Winning Producer Scott Rudin Goes on a Shopping Spree

Scott Rudin has optioned Rudolph Delson’s novel “Maynard & Jennica” and attached scribe Liz Meriwether to pen the screenplay. The project is set up with frequent Rudin collaborator Miramax. “Maynard” tells a whimsical story about the relationship between a filmmaker-musician and his more introspective girlfriend that is set before, during and after Sept. 11. It’s told from the points of view of several dozen narrators, including the people — and in some cases objects and animals (including a macaw and a subway-train brake) — familiar with the couple’s relationship.

Via HR

Oscar winning producer Rudin lines up his 2009 Oscar Cards

Miramax Films and producer Scott Rudin have acquired screen rights to “The Unnamed,” an upcoming novel by Joshua Ferris about a man who comes down with a mysterious affliction that fractures his family.

Via Variety

Scott Rudin, Superstar!

Directors Ethan Coen (L) and Joel Coen (R) pose at the Governor’s Ball after winning Oscars for best director and best adapted screenplay, next to producer Scott Rudin who holds an Oscar for best picture for their work in “No Country for Old Men”, following the 80th annual Academy Awards, the Oscars, in Hollywood February 24, 2008.