Weinstein May Drop Cannes Opener ‘Grace Of Monaco’

By Lorna Elliot on Tue 29 Apr, 2014

Just a fortnight ahead of its upcoming premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the future for Grace Kelly biopic Grace Of Monaco is looking bleak as legendary producer Harvey Weinstein considers dropping the film from U.S. distribution.

Known for his tendency to contribute his own hand in the final edit, Weinstein is apparently dissatisfied with the version that director Olivier Dahan hopes to reveal to audiences on May 14, where it will be opening the French festival (playing out of competition).

This news comes in the light of the film’s previous production difficulties; it was originally set for release in cinemas last year, but was pulled from the schedule after representatives at the Weinstein Company deemed it “not ready”.

In an interview with French magazine La Liberation last October, Dahan commented on the change as being a result of conflicting visions between himself and Weinstein about what the movie should be. He attributes this to the nature of movie marketing in America: “It is only a matter of money, a question of exit strategy, millions of dollars, things like that. It has nothing to do with cinema. They want a commercial film … removing everything [in the film] that makes life. There a lot of things missing. And decisions are taken only with respect to marketing, output, etc..”

The biopic, which stars Australian Nicole Kidman as the celebrated American starlet, charts Kelly’s relationship and subsequent marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco (Tim Roth). Both the film and its star were originally in the early prediction sweepstakes leading up to this year’s Academy Awards, before the late release change prevented any chance of a nomination.

Grace Of Monaco should be premiering in Cannes on May 14, and will be released in UK cinemas on June 6.