Showbiz411

Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” will be distributed by the Weinstein Company next Christmas 2013. With an all star cast of Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker, and tons of cameos by people like Mariah Carey, Liev Schreiber, Jane Fonda, Alan Ricman, Vanessa Redgrave and Robin Williams, “The Butler” is already set up as the Oscar film of 2014.

Daniels has been shooting down in New Orleans for weeks. Obviously, Harvey Weinstein has liked what he’s seen of the footage and snapped up the rights. The screenplay is by Danny Sfrong, who just won an Emmy last night for “Game Change.” “The Butler” traces the life of a real life butler who served eight US presidents.

The Weinstein Company is already bracing for a huge Oscar march this winter with “The Master,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Sapphires,” and “Django Unchained” among others.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.