Attorney Lisa Bloom, who has been criticized for advising Harvey Weinstein in the sexual misconduct allegations against him, has a deal in development with the Weinstein Company.
In April, Weinstein optioned her book “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It” as part of its plan for a six-part Trayvon Martin docuseries. It’ll be co-executive produced with Jay-Z.
“Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story” is set to debut in 2018 on the Paramount Network, which is the new rebrand for Spike TV. It’ll tell the story of a Florida teen who shot and killed by a neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman.
The series will be based on the books by Bloom and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin” by Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: My book SUSPICION NATION is being made into a miniseries, produced by Harvey Weinstein and Jay Z! https://t.co/Z4pu7y0TfX
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 7, 2017
It’s also worth noting that Weinstein quoted Jay-Z in his statement (although reportedly incorrectly).
“Jay Z wrote in 4:44 I’m not the man I thought I was and I better be that man for my children.’ The same is true for me. I want a second chance in the community but I know I’ve got work to do to earn it,” he said.
Bloom referenced the project in her statement as well, but with the added caveat that her interactions with Weinstein have always been “respectful.”
“And as we work together on a project bringing my book to the screen, he has always been respectful toward me,” she said.
In a 2001 New York Magazine profile, David Carr wrote that Weinstein has a history of keeping potential opponents under his control by helping them with their careers. Carr wrote:
As the keeper of star-making machinery, Weinstein has re-engineered the media process so that he lives beyond its downsides. His other assets–a book-publishing company and a working knowledge of the frailties of most reporters–mean that when Weinstein acts like a numbskull at Cannes, he gets a pass.
A. J. Benza, who held Weinstein harmless when he was a gossip at the Daily News, has a book on Talk-Miramax that will become a movie. Liz Smith calls him the Irving Thalberg of our age, and Weinstein reciprocates by giving her a steady taste of star quotage. Rush and Molloy can’t blurb one of his actors without mentioning how “critically acclaimed” his last project was.
People on Twitter are noticing this connection and are criticizing Bloom for her decision to represent Weinstein, calling her a “sell out.”
https://twitter.com/rachelskid/status/916016429400330240
https://twitter.com/EgoIsNotUrAmigo/status/916015620575105024
https://twitter.com/ImaSTrawman/status/916015231427649537
Jay-Z and his production company Roc Nation, along with the Weinstein Company, have not responded to requests for comment.