MIRAMAX WANTS 'FAHRENHEIT' BACK.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

BURBANK - Miramax Films chiefs Bob and Harvey Weinstein plan to buy Michael Moore's controversial film ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' back from The Walt Disney Co. and distribute it themselves, the studio announced Wednesday.

Disney had blocked its Miramax unit from distributing ``Fahrenheit'' saying the film, which is said to be highly critical of President George W. Bush's handling of the terrorist attacks and their aftermath, is too politically charged in an election year.

Miramax spent about $6 million on the film. Terms of the reacquisition have yet to be determined, but the Weinsteins will likely have to repay Disney the production costs. A deal with a third-party distributor could be structured to exclude Disney from any future profits, though those issues are still being negotiated.

The Weinstein brothers faced a similar situation five years ago with the film ``Dogma,'' director Kevin Smith's controversial religious satire. In that instance, Lions Gate Films picked up the movie for distribution.

``Bob and Harvey are looking forward to completion of the deal,'' said Miramax spokesman Matthew Hiltzik.

In a conference call announcing Disney's quarterly earnings Wednesday, Disney Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner said Moore and Miramax were told a year ago that Disney would not distribute the film and has labeled the controversy a ``PR stunt.''

``Mr. Moore has known since last May,'' Eisner said. ``He does continue to have every opportunity to find another distributor.''

Moore has blasted Disney and Eisner in interviews and on his Web site, MichaelMoore.com. He has charged that Disney is passing on the film in order to avoid jeopardizing tax incentives the company receives for its theme parks in Florida where the president's brother, Jeb Bush, is governor. Eisner called Moore's assertions ``ridiculous.''

``The Disney spin machine has been working overtime dealing with this censorship debacle of theirs,'' Moore wrote on his site Friday. ``... Disney has been hoping for nearly a year that they could keep this thing quiet.''

The controversy comes at a time when the Weinsteins, the Miramax founders behind such films as ``Chicago,'' ``Cold Mountain'' and ``The Gangs of New York,'' are in talks to extend their current deal with Disney beyond 2005. They sold Miramax to Disney in 1993 and have had an often prickly relationship with Disney and Eisner.

Speculation mounts as to whether a bitter split similar to that between Disney and Pixar Animation is in the offing. Pixar severed negotiations with Disney last year and will end its long relationship with the company after its current agreement ends in 2006.

``Miramax and Disney have enjoyed a successful relationship and we look forward to an amicable resolution in the near future,'' Hiltzik said.

Eisner declined to comment on Miramax beyond the ``Fahrenheit'' controversy but sounded a bit irritated with all the media attention the situation is garnering.

``There's not much we can do with Miramax that's not carried in the press,'' he said before later adding, ``We still consider Miramax to be a very viable company creating films for The Walt Disney Co.'''

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com