Weinstein Co. Moves Nicole Kidman’s ‘Grace of Monaco’ Out of 2013 Contention (Exclusive)

The Weinstein Co. no longer plans to release Grace of Monaco, a drama in which Oscar winner Nicole Kidman portrays actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, in time to qualify for this year’s Oscar race. A limited release originally had been set for Nov. 27, and Kidman, by virtue of her past awards success, has been mentioned as a possible contender. But The Hollywood Reporter has learned that TWC has decided the film needs more time to be completed, and, according to sources, will be released during spring 2014, positioned more as a commercial entry than an awards play. TWC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  

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TWC co-chief Harvey Weinstein seemed particularly jazzed about the film — which was written by Arash Amel, directed by La Vie En Rose‘s Olivier Dahan and also stars Tim Roth, Paz Vega, Parker Posey, Frank Langella and Derek Jacobi — when he previewed his fall slate for a room full of press and buyers at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. Kidman, who was serving on the festival jury, even stopped by to take a bow. “Weinstein lavished special attention on Grace, noting it was the seventh movie he’s made with Kidman,” THR reported at the time.

TWC still will have a jam-packed awards slate this fall. It already has released Fruitvale Station, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and The Grandmaster and the documentaries 20 Feet from Stardom and Salinger. And it will soon release Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Philomena, August: Osage County and One Chance, all of which played at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month.

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Next year looks just as busy for the mini-major. TWC also is pushing James Gray‘s The Immigrant, which stars Marion Cotillard and premiered at May’s Cannes Film Festival, from 2013 to 2014. And it acquired three other films at Toronto that also will factor into the 2014 race: John Carney‘s Can a Song Save Your Life?, which stars Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine; Ned Benson‘s The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her, with James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain; and The Railway Man, in which Kidman also stars, opposite Colin Firth.

Twitter: @ScottFeinberg