MGM Picks Up Bobby, Miss Potter and The Last Region

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has expanded its theatrical distribution operations by announcing three new theatrical releases.

The new MGM theatrical releases for 2006-2007 from The Weinstein Company, which will be continuing to oversee the marketing for its titles, include:

Bobby, slated for release on November 22, 2006 for the Thanksgiving holiday, revisits the night Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. The film, which takes place against the backdrop of the cultural issues gripping the country at the time, is a fascinating and entertaining account that chronicles the intertwining lives of those at the hotel that evening. This ensemble drama was written and directed by Emilio Estevez and stars Estevez, Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, Harry Belafonte, Laurence Fishburne, William H. Macy, Heather Graham, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Freddy Rodriguez, Nick Cannon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joy Bryant, Svetlana Metkina, Kip Pardue, David Krumholtz, Shia LaBeouf, Jacob Vargas, Brian Geraghty, Joshua Jackson and Christian Slater. Michel Litvak's Bold Films, Edward Bass and Holly Wiersma produced the film, which was executive produced by Gary Michael Walters and Dan Grodnik.

Miss Potter, slated for release on December 29, 2006, explores the life of Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger), the author of the beloved and best-selling children's classic "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and her struggle to overcome a domineering and unsupportive mother and the chauvinism of Victorian England in an effort to become a published author. The charismatic and talented Academy Award® winning actress Renee Zellweger (Cinderella Man, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) stars in the biopic directed by Chris Noonan (Babe). Kirschner Productions' David Kirschner and Corey Sienega produced Miss Potter alongside Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer and David Thwaites of Phoenix Pictures. Zellweger executive produced the film and stars in it alongside Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson and Lloyd Owen.

On tap for release in 2007 will be The Last Legion.

The Last Legion, based on Valerio Massimo Mandredi's novel of the same name, is an action packed adventure drama set against the fall of Rome that tells the story of its last emperor, the young Romulus Augustus, who flees the city and all that he loves: his family, his home, and an empire that once stood for truth and honor, to lead a legion of supporters on a perilous voyage to Britain. The film, adapted by David Leland, is directed by Doug Lefler, produced by Martha and Dino De Laurentiis and stars Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, James Cosmo, Rupert Friend and Iain Glen.