'Hotel Mumbai' makers reclaim distribution rights from Weinstein Co

Dev Patel-starrer "Hotel Mumbai", about the November 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, is now free from the clutches of The Weinstein Company as its producers have reclaimed its distribution rights in a settlement for an undisclosed sum.

The deal, made public on Saturday, states that the project's producers Hotel Mumbai Pty Ltd can now take the film elsewhere for distribution, reports deadline.com.

A motion put into the federal court docket on Saturday read: "The parties have since entered into the stipulation resolving the disputes and issues related to the Picture and the License Agreement, and any ownership and/or distribution interests with respect thereto, all as more fully described in the Settlement Motion.

"The Stipulation requires, among other things, that the Debtors seek relief from this court to seal or otherwise redact the confidential terms and provisions contained therein."

"Hotel Mumbai" producers had filed an adversary case alleging Weinstein obtained a license through fraudulent means. This had come once The Weinstein Company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the fallout of sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

Earlier, the "Hotel Mumbai" producers had announced that they had rescinded their distribution and marketing agreement with TWC in February, following months of allegations and investigations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein.

Still, in March, the movie was included among the assets for bidders to grab, a line point that its producers felt needed correcting.

Hotel Mumbai Pty Ltd said it was promised delivery of the picture by April 30, plus $10 million in marketing. But it received neither.

The producer also said TWC's officers knew about Weinstein's sordid history of sexual abuse and that the issue "was effectively a ticking time bomb that would decimate TWC when the full extent of Harvey Weinste'n's illegal actions became known to the general public".

Directed by Antony Maras, the movie also features Armie Hammer, Jason Isaacs and Nazanin Boniadi.

--IANS

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