The Season: Will Par move 'Zodiac' into contention?

By Pete Hammond

Although most pundits are now fairly certain the line up of contenders for the 2006 awards race is locked, we should remember it is still only September. Even though most of the major festivals are over, for your consideration ad buys are being placed in the trades and the Q&A train has left the station, there is still the possibility of a late entry getting into the crowded field.

Of course there is precedent for this. Two years ago, eventual Best Picture Oscar victor, “Million Dollar Baby” had not even been officially announced as a 2004 release. Warner Bros. didn’t do that until September 30th and the film wasn’t screened for select press until mid-November when its heavy courtship with Oscar began in earnest. Ever since then, crafty producers have dreamed of coming up with their own “Million Dollar Baby,” a stealth campaign that takes the media and industry by surprise and upsets the entire rhythm of the awards dance.

Is that scenario in the cards for David Fincher’s “Zodiac?” This adaptation of the Robert Graysmith book about the notorious Zodiac serial killer who roamed San Francisco in the 60s and 70s is currently scheduled to open through domestic distributor Paramount on January 19, 2007 (Warner Bros. is handling the international release).

Fincher is now completing editing and mixing and the film should be pretty much wrapped in a couple of weeks. Sources are saying it is brilliantly made with great performances across the board. The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards. And even though Fincher’s hard edged previous films (“Fight Club,” “Panic Room,” “Se7en”) have received a grand total of 2 Academy nods in tech categories, this is said to be the one that could change that pattern.

That is, if “Zodiac” receives a qualifying run in December ahead of its wide January release. If it has to wait until next year, the odds are long since January films are a distant memory come nomination time. But hope remains that Fincher’s film will still be a part of this year’s kudos story. We have been told that it is a complex situation and there are “discussions that are probably going to take place.”

One hurdle may be that Paramount really doesn’t need another picture going for the gold this year since they already have “World Trade Center” and the upcoming Dreamworks’films “Flags Of Our Fathers” (Oct 20) and “Dreamgirls” (Dec 21). And although it is a completely separate entity, specialty division Paramount Vantage has a major contender in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu’s “Babel” (Oct 27).

Further, “Zodiac” co-producer Mike Medavoy who runs Phoenix Pictures, the production entity behind the movie, has two other films of his own to deal with in this week’s “All The King’s Men” and December’s anticipated Renee Zellweger drama, “Miss Potter” for The Weinstein Company.

But if “Zodiac” really does deliver the goods as those few who have seen it believe, then how can it be denied a passport to the Kodak? After all, remember 1974. One studio accounted for three, count ‘em , “three” of the five Best Picture Oscar nominations. The movies were “The Godfather Part II,” “Chinatown” and “The Conversation.” The studio was, you guessed it, Paramount.

Back to the man behind that now legendary “Million Dollar Baby” campaign. Clint Eastwood is creating his own news again this year. Not only is his October 20th World War II epic “Flags Of Our Fathers” imminent, it also has a companion film told from the Japanese point of view, “Letters From Iwo Jima.” Apparently Clint would like to see it released in 2006 as well, according to published reports - and no less an authority than the Internet Movie Data Base which has it dated as Dec ‘06.

This last fact has been picked up by some Oscar-watchers as confirmation that the film will indeed be competing “against” Paramount and Dreamworks’ “Flags.” Complicating matters though is the fact that “Letters” is being distributed domestically by Warner Bros. (for now at least) and sources there tell us they are only seeing the film for the first time this week and have not yet decided when it will be released but that it will “not” be in 2006. Sometime in the first quarter of 2007 is most likely according to a studio exec who adds that they want to do what is best for the film and it’s relation to “Flags.”

Ironically, Warner Bros., with its own slate of potential contenders – including “The Good German” (Dec 8), “The Blood Diamond” (Dec 15), and “We Are Marshall” (Dec 22) - may find itself in the same boat as Paramount and could choose not to look for another December entry to muddy the competition waters.

But if that’s what Clint wants for Christmas, well who knows?

Paramount and Warners, oddly, are the strange bedfellows this year, joined at the hip on both “Zodiac” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” and what they finally decide could have a major impact on an increasingly intriguing race.

And there’s one more potential Oscar connection between the two studios: Warner Bros.’ impressive “The Departed,” directed by long-time Oscar bridesmaid Martin Scorsese, was finally unveiled for press earlier this week and many observers, including this one, are calling it a legitimate Best Picture contender. It was produced by Brad Pitt, Graham King and get this, Paramount chief Brad Grey(!). What an Oscar night it would be if Paramount’s Grey were to bring home the gold for Warner Bros.

The prognosticators are drooling with anticipation.