Harvey Weinstein goes for the gold again, buying Meryl Streep-starrer ‘The Iron Lady’ (Updated)

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‘The King’s Speech’s’ four Oscars earlier this year have sure put some extra spring in Harvey Weinstein’s step. Not to mention some extra cash. For Weinstein has been on a buying spree lately, scooping up Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut ‘Coriolanus,’ starring Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave out of Sundance. He then bought the high school football documentary ‘Undefeated’ out of the South-By-Southwest film festival and Lee Hirsch’s documentary ‘The Bully Project,’ about bullying in America from Tribeca.

But what may be the crown jewel of this latest shopping spree is his recent Cannes acquisition of ‘The Iron Lady.’ The film stars Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first and only female prime minister. Jim Broadbent co-stars as Thatcher’s husband, Denis. The New York distributor plans to release the film by the end of the year and clearly has Oscar in his sights.

The movie, from director Phyllida Lloyd, Streep’s collaborator on ‘Mamma Mia,’ is still not finished, but Weinstein has seen some assembled footage and says he was ‘blown away by the performance.’

Weinstein has worked with both Streep and Broadbent previously, releasing Streep’s ‘The Hours,’ which was nominated for nine Oscars and won one, and Broadbent’s ‘Iris,’ which landed the British actor his only gold statuette. No release date has yet been set, but with this kind of pedigree, an Oscar release is inevitable.

Perhaps Weinstein can finally get Streep, who has been nominated for 16 Oscars but hasn’t won since 1983 for her role in ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ another gold man for her mantle.

[For the Record, 2:40 p.m. May 13: An earlier version of this post said Streep’s ‘Sophie’s Choice’ win was her only Oscar. She has two.]

-- Nicole Sperling