The Weinstein Company Will Distribute Cogan's Trade

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has only become better appreciated in the years since its release; virtually no one saw it in theaters when it was released by Warner Bros. in September of 2007, but its reputation has grown over the years, and as many of the cast members-- Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Paul Schneider-- have gone on to become bigger stars. Now director Andrew Dominik is finally ready to make his follow-up, the heist thriller Cogan's Trade, and in this case going smaller may be better; instead of taking the film to another major studio, Dominik has handed the project over to the Weinstein Company, who will distribute the film domestically in early 2012.

According to Deadline, the Weinsteins outbid other comers by offering $20 million to promote the film's release, something that probably won't be too difficult with Brad Pitt in the lead (though it didn't help Jesse James, so they'll need a few more strategies as well). He'll be joined by his old Jesse James co-stars Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell, with James Gandolfini apparently also considering joining. Shooting stars in New Orleans at the end of next month; it's not too late to root for Renner and Schneider to pop in as well, and make it the full-fledged Jesse James reunion we never dared to wish for.