The Weinstein Company has picked up distribution rights to his star-studded period drama The Butler, directed by Precious helmer Lee Daniels.

Based on the screenplay by Danny Strong (who just won an Emmy last night for Game Change) and Daniels, The Butler is inspired by Wil Haygood’s Washington Post article about an African-American man who served as a butler (Forest Whitaker) to eight Presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in the White House for over thirty years.

Obviously, Harvey Weinstein has liked what he’s seen of the footage. The film, which has been shooting down in New Orleans for weeks, also stars Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber and Robin Williams.

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