Harvey Weinstein CBE (born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer. He and his brother Bob Weinstein co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films, including Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), The Crying Game (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Heavenly Creatures (1994), Flirting with Disaster (1996), and Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Weinstein won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love, and garnered seven Tony Awards for a variety of plays and musicals, including The Producers, Billy Elliot the Musical, and August: Osage County. After leaving Miramax, Weinstein and his brother Bob founded The Weinstein Company, a mini-major film studio. He was co-chairman, alongside Bob, from 2005 to 2017.
How Roku’s Long-Delayed ‘Swimming With Sharks’ Reboot Takes Aim at Monstrous Hollywood Bosses
variety.comSwimming With Sharks,” behind an image of (now disgraced) actor Kevin Spacey screaming directly into the face of his co-star, Frank Whaley.
The film gave audiences an unflinching look at Hollywood’s workplace culture — as it was then, before current efforts to eradicate toxic and inexcusable behavior.Verbal and physical abuse, staplers and phones hurled at employees, 20-hour workdays, sexual harassment and rampant degradation all play out in the film, which was reportedly based on writer-director George Huang’s experiences under producers Joel Silver and Scott Rudin. “Swimming With Sharks” has become a touchstone for industry survivors, and Roku will unveil a TV series adaptation of the film on April 15.
In the nearly two decades since it was released, a subgenre has sprung up surrounding these backlot stories, especially in the post-#MeToo era.
The list includes a comedic look at a superstar aide in Dakota Johnson-starrer “The High Note,” as well as Jim Cummings’ recent talent agency thriller “The Beta Test” and “The Assistant,” starring Julie Garner, which was directly inspired by the scores of unfortunate underlings who endured Harvey Weinstein’s bullying.To revisit “Swimming With Sharks” could be seen as pandering and dated, especially as show business institutions have promised transparency and reform.
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