Last night it was announced that the Weinstein Co. is forging an exclusive, seven-year output pay-TV deal with Showtime that begins with TWC’s 2009 slate, will cover 95 films, including such upcoming titles as Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards” and Rob Marshall’s “Nine.” It also encompasses such Dimension Films titles as “Youth in Revolt” and “6 Billion Dollar Man.” This afternoon we got our hands on the full press release that tipped off that the remake of David Cronenberg’s Scanners, Piranha 3D and Scream 4 (!) are also included in the deal. Read on for the full release! More details forthcoming. Where do you guys think they should take the franchise? Any ideas?
(New York, NY 7/14/08) -In a move that enhances its slate of theatrical motion pictures, Showtime Networks Inc. has entered into an exclusive seven-year film distribution arrangement with The Weinstein Company (TWC). The joint announcement was made today by Matthew C. Blank, Chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks and Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Co-Chairmen of TWC.

The new output deal is effective with TWC’s 2009 release schedule and includes such highly anticipated films as “Nine,” directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) and featuring an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren, and Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards.”

“This exclusive agreement with The Weinstein Company will deliver our subscribers an enormous and diverse slate of films at a price to SHOWTIME that is consistent with today’s marketplace,” said Blank. “Bob’s and Harvey’s films are known for quality and promotability, making them a perfect fit with the acclaimed and award-winning original series that have generated strong momentum and subscriber growth for SHOWTIME. We will continue to pursue such value-enhancing deals in the future.”

The agreement with TWC – combined with upcoming deals from other theatrical distributors and future product from CBS Films – will form a potent feature film portfolio alongside SHOWTIME’s award-winning, critically acclaimed original series and sports programming. These series include Dexter, Californication, The Tudors, Weeds, Brotherhood, The L Word, Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, Penn & Teller: Bullshit, , Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and the just announced series, United States of Tara, from Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, written by Academy Award