Weinstein Co. builds 2010 foundation with Indie cornerstones

For squirrely long-range Oscar forecasting, it’s wise to note what nuts the Weinsteins are storing for awards season.

The Weinstein Company has acquired U.S. distribution rights to The Company Men, the John Wells-directed drama. With a cast that includes Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Maria Bello, the corporate downsizing drama was one of the highest profile films to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last January. (Deadline.com)

Other significant Weinstein Co acquisitions for 2010:

• The King’s Speech (November 26) — Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Guy Pearce. “A chronicle of King George VI’s effort to overcome his nervous stammer with the assistance of speech therapist.”
• Blue Valentine (December 31) — Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. “The film centers on a contempo married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.”
• The Tillman Story (August 20) — “The fact that the military manipulated linebacker Pat Tillman’s tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool is unfathomable and thoroughly explored in Amir Bar-Lev’s riveting and enraging documentary.”
• Nowhere Boy (October 8 ) — Aaron Johnson, Thomas Sangster, Kristin Scott Thomas. “Imagine John Lennons childhood: A spirited teenager, curious, sharp and funny, growing up in the shattered city of Liverpool. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into art and the new music flooding in from the US.”