Source: Hollywood Reporter

New Line Cinema and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment have parted ways over Alpha Dog, which now will be distributed by Universal Pictures, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie, a crime drama written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, was a negative pickup for New Line and had been penciled in as a spring release. New Line had put trailers in theaters and on its Web site. The studio and producer disagreed, though, over how widely the film should be released, with Sidney Kimmel arguing for a wider release than the studio proposed.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Universal has promised to put the film into more than 1,000 theaters, though Universal did not immediately confirm that. The parties involved maintain the movie's move to another studio was amicable. New Line has a strong relationship with Cassavetes, who directed "John Q." and "The Notebook" for the company.