Cannes 2011: Weinstein Back another Brit Flick

Hollywood Reporter just announced that The Weinstein Co, fresh off their win this year with, say it with me now The King’ Speech, is ready to give the industry what it wants: more British people. They will handle the Meryl Streep’s Oscar juggernaut The Iron Lady.

After a heated bidding war that lasted into the early hours of Friday, the Weinstein Co. closed a deal for U.S. rights to Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep.

The Weinstein Co. is partnering with Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies on the acquistion. It’s their third join venture this year, following pick-ups of Our Idiot Brothers and The Details.

Hollywood Reporter exclusive from Cannes. From thence to the Kodak.

Then next year, Weinstein Co. brings Meryl back to the race with August: Osage County. Press Release after the cut.

New York, NY, May 13, 2011 – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that it has acquired from Pathé International all U.S. distribution rights to THE IRON LADY, directed by Phyllida Lloyd (MAMMA MIA!) and starring Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep (THE HOURS, JULIA AND JULIA) as Margaret Thatcher. Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent (the HARRY POTTER series, IRIS) co-stars as Thatcher’s husband, Denis. The film marks the second collaboration between Lloyd and Streep, following the acclaimed hit musical MAMMA MIA!. THE IRON LADY is written by award-winning writer Abi Morgan (BRICK LANE, WHITE GIRL) and produced by Damian Jones (THE HISTORY BOYS, MILLIONS). The announcement was jointly made by TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein and Francois Ivernel, EVP, Pathé.

TWC will partner on the acquisition with Ron Burkle, in the third joint acquisition of 2011, following OUR IDIOT BROTHER and THE DETAILS.

The US Theatrical release for THE IRON LADY is planned for 2011.

Said Weinstein, “Having worked with both Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent, I know that they are without peer as film actors. Even so, I was absolutely blown away by what I saw of their performances as Margaret and Denis Thatcher. Phyllida is doing an incredible job.”

THE IRON LADY – SYNOPSIS

THE IRON LADY is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the first and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. One of the 20th century’s most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world.