The Weinstein Company has pulled Benedict Cumberbatch historical drama “The Current War” from its planned Black Friday Nov. 24 release date, shelving the film for an undecided 2018 release since the Harvey Weinstein scandal has soured the market for Weinstein Co. films.
The Alfonso Gomez-Rejon film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews, which cited its pacing and length. Since its premiere, Weinstein Co. production president Dylan Sellers worked with Gomez-Rejon to remove 12 minutes from the film.
The writer of “The Current War,” Michael Mitnik, also dropped out of a panel that was scheduled for Thursday night at the New York Film Festival. Sources said Mitnick decided that it wouldn’t be appropriate to promote “The Current War” due to the scandal surrounding TWC founder Harvey Weinstein.
Though the film could still be a candidate for the Oscars, its removal from the marketplace during awards season doesn’t bode well for the embattled production company, which lost yet another board member, Richard Koenigsberg, on Thursday. For a prestige picture like “The Current War” to turn a profit, it will need to pick up Oscar nominations that could help build word-of-mouth.
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