Bob Weinstein Releases Ambitious Statement About TWC’s Future, Which Rests Heavily on ‘Paddington 2’

In the midst of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault scandals jolting the film industry, the company he founded with his brother Bob remains in doubt. With Harvey out of the picture, fired mere days ago as the scandal was just beginning to ratchet up in scope and size, co-chairman Bob Weinstein has issued a new statement insisting that The Weinstein Company is neither for sale or shutting down, despite continued rumors to the contrary.

Curiously, however, the statement makes no mention of the company’s most significant fall title, the Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle “The Current War,” which premiered last month at TIFF, or the Jeremy Renner crime drama “Wind River,” its biggest commercial success of the season. Both films have long been considered to be TWC’s best hope for awards season glory this year. Instead, Weinstein mostly focuses on building anticipation for “Paddington 2,” the sequel to the British adaptation of the children’s book starring an animated bear.

You can read the full statement below:

“Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company and it is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown of the company. ‘Polaroid’ is moving forward as planned with a release date of November 22 followed by ‘Paddington 2’ on January 12. The first ‘Paddington’ grossed over $75 million and we expect even greater success for ‘Paddington 2.’ Test screening scores are through the roof. ‘War with Grandpa’ starring Robert De Niro is scheduled for February 23, 2018. Business is continuing as usual as the company moves ahead.”

IndieWire has reached out for comment on the omission of other upcoming titles from The Weinstein Company, which includes upcoming television series that will no longer feature Harvey Weinstein’s names in the credits. The statement also fails to acknowledge reports that the company has considered changing its name or otherwise rebranding.

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