As Harvey Weinstein prepares for what may be his final courtroom battle, the successful studio he built has been making an unlikely success of itself while he has been behind bars.
Miramax, the indie powerhouse behind films like Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love, has been staging a quiet revival under new leadership.
Jonathan Glickman, who took over as Miramax’s chief executive last year, is the antithesis of the volcanic Weinstein brothers. Where they apparently ruled through fear and intimidation, Glickman – described by colleagues as a “mensch” – prefers collaboration.
His vision for Miramax involves dusting off its 700-title library of Oscar winners and cult classics, rebooting them for a new era while investing in original films and television.
Under Glickman, Miramax is re-developing classic, Scary Movie with the Wayans brothers, a TV adaptation of Cop Land with the film’s director, James Mangold, and a Shall We Dance series with Jennifer Lopez on board as producer.
There’s also The Faculty Part 2 with Robert Rodriguez. But each project comes with baggage - Rodriguez hasn't worked with Miramax since Weinstein recut Spy Kids 3D without his consent.
In many cases, Glickman has had to smooth over decades-old tensions left by the Weinstein brothers (he ran the company with brother Bob) combative reign.
“It’s a job I was built to do,” Glickman says. “I’m a huge fan of film history, and Miramax’s library punches above its weight.”
The conference room at Miramax's Beverly Hills office tells two stories. On one wall: framed posters of Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. On the other: a whiteboard mapping out 2024's slate of reboots and sequels.
This is the paradox facing Glickman as he attempts what many considered impossible - making Miramax mean something other than Harvey Weinstein.
"It's about respecting the library while building something new," says the former MGM executive.
His strategy leans heavily on nostalgia, yet the studio’s revival is fraught with contradictions. Miramax’s golden era – the 1990s and early 2000s, when it brought arthouse sophistication to mainstream cinema – is inseparable from Weinstein’s toxic legacy.
Many of the sexual assault allegations against the embattled film mogul date back to his time at the company.
After his downfall in 2017, Miramax (named after his and Bob’s parents Miriam and Max) even considered changing its name, fearing the association would taint its future.
Market research, however, suggested audiences could separate the studio from its disgraced founder. Glickman’s challenge is steep. The film landscape has changed dramatically since Miramax’s heyday.
The mid-budget, star-driven dramas that once defined the studio now struggle to find space in a market dominated by superhero franchises and streaming algorithms.
Undeterred, Glickman plans to produce five to eight films annually with backing from Qatari conglomerate beIN Media keeping budgets under $50 million.
Recent successes like The Holdovers (produced with Alexander Payne) prove there's appetite for adult-oriented dramas - the very genre Weinstein championed.
But the shadow remains. When Glickman recently approached Shakespeare in Love screenwriter Marc Norman about a potential series, his first question was: "How involved are the Weinstein's?" (Answer: Not at all - they've been barred from the company since 2005.)
Glickman added: "We can't pretend the past didn't happen," he says. "But we can prove great films can come from ethical companies." For Hollywood and audiences alike, that may be the ultimate test.
