NEW YORK, NEW YORK (February 2, 2006) – The Weinstein Company is proud to announce that it has acquired the North American distribution rights to Exodus Film Group’s CG-animated feature comedy Igor. Chris McKenna (Fox’s American Dad) wrote the screenplay and John D. Eraklis is set to produce. Seasoned animation executive Max Howard, who has collaborated on such animated blockbusters as The Lion King, Aladdin, Space Jam and The Iron Giant, will executive produce “Igor.” The announcement was made today by The Weinstein Company co-chairman, Harvey Weinstein.

A playfully irreverent comedy with a new twist to the classic monster genre, Igor is the story of a mad scientist’s hunchbacked lab assistant who has big dreams of becoming a scientist in his own right and winning the coveted first place award at the annual Evil Science Fair.

Harvey Weinstein stated, “On the heels of the great success of Hoodwinked, my brother and I are thrilled to be involved with another exciting independent animation project with outstanding filmmakers.”

“With such an incredible distribution and marketing track-record, we’re excited to be working with the Weinsteins,” said Exodus’ president John D. Eraklis.

Other Weinstein Company CG-animated projects include the hilarious family film Hoodwinked, which opened in theaters nationwide on January 13th, 2006; Doogal, which is being released in theaters nationwide on February 24th; the fourth installment to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise; Opus; Cricket in Times Square; and Hood vs Evil, the sequel to Hoodwinked.

Exodus’ upcoming animated short Igor: Unholy Frijoles features Christian Slater voicing the title character, Igor, along with Jay Leno as Brian the Brain, Steve Buscemi as Scamper the Lab Rabbit, and John Cleese as Dr. Glickenstein. There is no cast or director attached to the feature yet. Igor is currently in pre-production. Exodus’ CG-animated slate also includes The Hero of Color City and Amarillo Armadillo with Howard set to executive produce.

Eric Robinson, director of production and development, brought the project to The Weinstein Company and will oversee it on behalf of TWC. Barry Littman, executive vice president of business and legal affairs, and Michal Podell, vice president of international business and legal affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of The Weinstein Company. Todd Stern from Weissman & Wolf negotiated the deal on behalf of Exodus Film Group. Exodus is represented by ICM.

About the Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multi-media company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner.

Since launching on October 1, 2005, The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films have released the sexy psychological thriller Derailed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen; The Libertine, starring Johnny Depp and Samantha Morton; Transamerica, starring 2005 Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman; Mrs. Henderson Presents, starring Academy Award winner Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins; Wolf Creek, the terrifying Australian horror film based on true events; The Matador, starring Golden Globe nominee Pierce Brosnan and Hoodwinked, a CGI animated family film with voiceovers by Glenn Close, Jim Belushi and Anne Hathaway.

Upcoming releases include; Lucky Number Slevin, starring Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, and Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman, and Sir Ben Kingsley; Breaking & Entering, written and directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn and Vera Farmiga; Decameron, starring Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton; Last Legion, starring Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley; Young Hannibal, the prequel to the incredibly successful and legendary Hannibal Lecter series; Scary Movie 4, the latest installment in the hugely successful and hilarious horror-parody series; Sin City 2, the second installment in the franchise based on the electrifying graphic novels from Frank Miller, which will be co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller; Pulse, a remake of a Japanese horror film starring Kristen Bell, Christina Milian, and Ian Somerhalder; Passion of the Clerks, a new film from Kevin Smith; Killshot, a film from Academy Award winning director John Madden starring Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson, and Johnny Knoxville; Awake, starring Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen; School for Scoundrels, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder; and Grind House, a groundbreaking film that will unite two of the world’s most legendary filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

During the Weinsteins' tenure at Miramax Films the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films, including fifteen Best Picture nominations and three Best Pictures of the Year for The English Patient, Shakespeare In Love and Chicago. The films, which received 249 Academy Award® nominations and won 60 Oscars®, have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie.

About Exodus Film Group
Led by president & CEO John D. Eraklis, Exodus Film Group was founded in 2001 in an effort to create a one-stop entertainment company capable of producing content equal in quality to the studios and networks on a realistic budget. Exodus acquires, develops and finances intellectual properties, taking them from inception to distribution. Exodus' project emphasis is on family-oriented films with CG-animation content.