Depicted: Zombie Aaron Eckhart performs one of his man-on-child love scenes from ”Nothing Is Private” for an enraptured Toronto audience

Though by all indications this year’s Toronto Film Fest has been lackluster all around, the rotund Brosephs du Weinstein blew the dust off their circa 1992 festival check book and bought North American rights for “George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead,” to the tune of about $2.5 million.

DIARY would be the latest installment in Romero’s genre defining zombie franchise, a follow-up to 2005’s LAND OF THE DEAD, which (unfortunately) didn’t exactly break box office records (because people are stupid). Weinsteins’ deal includes a theatrical guarantee; risky considering the big disappointment of Weinstein Co’s last zombie-related flick from a respected genre director (i.e. the PLANET TERROR half of GRINDHOUSE). But ya know what? It’s Romero. It’s zombies. Kudos to Fattie and Sir Eats-a-Lot Foodstein for putting their bucks behind the guy who started it all.

Also picked up in Toronto: Allan Ball’s latest blatant confession of pedophilia, “Nothing Is Private,” with rights split between Warner Independent and Netflix for about a million a pop. Despite good reviews, NOTHING screenings spurred walk-outs a plenty due to its spank-worthy portrayal of Aaron Eckhart boning a 13-year old. Hey Allan Ball, Roman Polanski called: he wants his BARELY LEGAL magazines back.

Okay, I’m sorry. That was wrong. Pedophilia isn’t funny.

It’s sexy.

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