There will be a new director atop the Twilight franchise: and he'll be a man. Sources tell EW.com that Summit Entertainment is about to hire Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) as the shepherd for New Moon, the second installment of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series. Weitz is best-known for his work with his brother Paul. The two directed and produced American Pie and then were nominated for an Academy Award for best screenplay for About a Boy, which they also co-directed. Chris' first solo directing gig, The Golden Compass, didn't do well stateside but was a hit internationally.
Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, has grossed more than $141 million so far, but Hardwicke had clashed with the studio during production. It was announced early this week that she would not be making New Moon. Weitz has a solid relationship with Summit's top brass; he's considered easy to work with and has experience with special effects. "He's the quality-of-life-choice," says one source. While Summit insists "we have not yet signed Chris Weitz to do New Moon," and Weitz's agency says no deal has been signed, other sources say the deal is imminent, and that Summit has stopped negotiations with other potential Moon directors. Summit had planned to announce this hiring decision on Sunday, Dec. 14, and could have Weitz in Vancouver, B.C. as early as Monday to start pre-production on the film.
Source: EW's Hollywood Insider
11 comments:
Hmm, I can't decide how I feel about this. On the one hand, I liked Twilight, even tho there were some things left out that I thought were essential to the plot and made the movie a bit choppy, along with the editing. I would have like to see what KH would have done with a bigger budget.
I guess I'm not too worried about CW, because he does have some good adaptation and special effects experience, which is a plus. I just worry if he will have the passion for the book that KH had, and if he will be able to connect with the fans. I do think that NM needs to have more of a bigger movie feel then Twilight did, and I'm not sure KH could have done that ... but, with a 50 million budget, not much is going to happen. And the way they are rushing things makes them look greedy and like they don't care about the content of the movie. That, and the budget, are what scares me at this point ...
i'm just worried that new moon is going to suck because of how they are trying to rush production and get it into the theaters almost exactly a year after twilight comes out PLUS the could have definitely afforded a bigger budget. $50M? come on!
I feel the same way Stacy. :/ I'm trying to be optimistic about it... but I just don't like the way they're cutting ties so quickly.
Exactly. I don't know what to think about the director issue, but the budget and speeding things up really makes them look like they are in it only for the money .. . and giving NM a 50 mill budget after all the money Twilight made just makes them look like they are using Twilight to recoup from other losses and not giving NM it's due ... I hope that's not the case, cause that book has the stuff to be a great movie.
I'm not going to worry. Maybe he's a good choice. As long as New Moon stay true to the books with better special effects and Rob/Kristen still there...I'm happy!=)
The effects in Golden Compass were amazing, I thought. That's probably why they thought he was a good fit for New Moon. I liked Twilight, but I really didn't think Catherine was suited for that kind of a story. Did anybody see Lords of Dogtown that she did? THAT one was awesome. I could watch it over and over again.
*Heath* :(
I guess only time will tell on whether Chris will be a good fit for NM. I loved About a Boy, but Golden Compass not so great. I thought that Summit might give up more than $50 million for NM.
I seriously think they need to get a new screenwriter! The lines spoken by Kristen and Rob were terrible, not to mention the classmates,esp Eric's lines. UGH! I cringe when I think about it. I can totally see why Kristen objected to some of the dialogue in the movie. I am hopeful about Chris Weitz. I loved About a Boy and the SFX in The Golden Compass was amazing, so fingers crossed Summit doesn't EFF it up!
Oddly enough, I know a teeny bit about Chris Weitz. I have much confidence that he will do right by Stephenie's book.
His mother is actress Susan Kohner who was drop dead beautiful in her youth with an exotic ethnic backround (Czech/Jewish--Afro/Mexican). She looked a little bit like Natalie Wood, and was in a very famous film called 'Imitation of Life' with Lana Turner and Sandra Dee. His father was a well know fashion designer in the 60's-70's named John Weitz.
This man has show biz pedigree. I have hope for New Moon!
I have to agree with colleen; I hope New Moon doesn't suck because the studio is rushing the hell out of it. Fingers crossed!
I'm cautiously optimistic. Yes Hardwicke did what she could with what she had and produced a quite nice, indy-vibe film. New Moon is going to have some pretty heady CGI requirements, which not only takes experience it takes time. Weitz has the experience needed to pull of these effects in a potentially fantastic way.
I'll admit Golden Compass wasn't great, but that was the script - the screenplay. People know the Twilight Series - know what it has to be as opposed to starting from scratch and a bunch of "what ifs". Weitz does need to do due diligence, though, and stay true to the story and it's vibe. If that doesn't happen, it's just going to be another flick all about the CGI bling and man-centric action. No soul. THAT'S my fear - as a woman, CH brought that center-center-of-the-chest emotion that resounded through the series. I hope Weitz can get in touch with his feminine side - if not, it'll be a bumpy ride.
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