Weinsteins’ Dimension Drops Big Bucks on ‘Gold’ Starring Matthew McConaughey

As Harvey Weinstein finds himself brought in for some uncomfortable questioning by the New York City Police Department, his brother Bob Weinstein has laid out a reported $15-million minimum guarantee to win U.S. rights in a CAA bidding war for “Syriana” director Steve Gaghan’s mining drama “Gold,” a movie starring Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez that is going into production in June in Thailand, New York and New Mexico.

Advance footage was screened for buyers in Berlin. Open Road, Focus Features and STX were reportedly in the bidding. Numbers are escalating as new buyers drive up prices in this heated sellers market; Netflix recently outbid Focus Features, buying world rights to Cary Fukunaga’s “Beasts of No Nation” for $12 million.

TWC-Dimension is also committing to a P&A guarantee of more than $20 million to support a theatrical release on some 2500 screens. This kind of commitment is unusual these days; Harvey Weinstein backed out of a similar deal to release “Snowpiercer,” but Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho was willing to capitulate to have the film go out uncut via TWC digital distributor Radius.

“Gold” is inspired by the true story of the 1993 Bre-X Mineral Corporation mining scandal, where large amounts of gold were reportedly discovered in the Indonesian jungle. TWC-Dimension will released the movie, which indicates a commercial rather than an Oscar-driven project.

McConaughey stars as a failing businessman and prospector who teams up with a hapless geologist/explorer (Edgar Ramirez). They head into the Indonesian jungle on the trail of undiscovered gold.

Written by Patrick Massett & John Zinman, “Gold” is being produced and fully financed by Black Bear Pictures, whose Teddy Schwarzman (“The Imitation Game”) will produce alongside Hwy61’s Michael Nozik (“Quiz Show,” “Syriana”), Massett, Zinman and McConaughey. Hwy61 partner Paul Haggis (“Crash”) will executive produce with Richard Middleton (“Hitchcock,” “The Artist”) and Black Bear’s Ben Stillman.

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Weinsteins’ Dimension Drops Big Bucks on ‘Gold’ Starring Matthew McConaughey

Weinsteins' Dimension Drops Big Bucks on 'Gold' Starring Matthew McConaughey