Meryl Streep Prepares for Another Oscar

Bonjour de Cannes -- The brothers Weinstein are making their hollywoodteur status known. This time closing a deal with Pathe for U.S. rights to the next Meryl Streep Oscar nomination - the Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady.

The Weinstein Company is partnering with Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies on the acquistion. It’s their third joint venture this year, following pick-ups of Our Idiot Brothers and The Details. Iron Lady will be completed by September in time for a 4th quarter launch.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein can hardly focus on the gigantic Cannes red carpet on the croisette as they formula plans for their Oscar generating machine and plot mansion and mantle slots for another Oscar trophy. The essential plan is to focus on a major awards run singling out Streep's performance and control and finance - finesse rather, the attention and fall-out for tons of notoriety and ROI (rent-on-investment).

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who directed Streep in Mamma Mia!. The Lady screenplay was penned was by Abi Morgan. The film was produced by Damian Jones with a $13 million production budget financed and produced by Pathe, Film 4 and the U.K. Film Council.

Prepare To Trance

Multi-Oscar nominate and anti-Hollywoodteur, Danny Boyle, will follow his recent Oscar nom 127 Hours with Trance.

The thriller will shoot in London in September. Trance is the story of an art heist gone wrong. However with Boyle at the heim, Trance is bound to be dark, sexy and hard-edged like the tone of earlier Boyle films Shallow Grave and, my pers fav, Trainspotting. Trance will reunite Boyle with his 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire producing partner Christian Colson.

Currently talks are underway with Fox Searchlight and Pathe for funding and worldwide distribution. Boyle will shoot Trance in September before turning all of his attention to directing the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Casting talks have begun with top British and American talent. Boyle will shelf Trance upon shooting to devote himself exclusively to the Olympics, then plans to return to Trance in August 2012 with a theatrical distribution in March 2013.

Unlike other Hollywoodteurs who exasperate enormous budgets with no real monetary profits, critical acclaim or Oscar consideration outside of the most technical categories, Boyle's budgets are usually in the mid teen budget range of which he always deliver sizeable return on investment with international praise. Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire cost $15 million and 127 Hours was $18 million. These films have grossed over $450 million between them.