Sofia Coppola (nominated in 2004 for Lost in Translation), Gus Van Sant (in 1998 for Good Will Hunting, 2009 for Milk), and Bill Condon (won for best screenplay in 1999 for Gods and Monsters and was nominated in 2003 for adapting Chicago) are all apparently on Summit's shortlist/wishlist to helm Breaking Dawn. And now the Los Angeles Times reports there's yet another name being thrown into the mix - Stephen Daldry. Daldry has three Oscar Best Director nominations to his credit: Billy Elliot (2001), The Hours (2003), and The Reader (2009).
If Summit does split Breaking Dawn in half, similar to what Warner Bros is doing with the last Harry Potter book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, get a director locked in and a script completed, then filming would start later this year - most likely in the fall. But, if Breaking Dawn's split in two, will Summit opt to shoot the two films simultaneously? That would be the smart choice as the cast isn't getting any younger and they've all been busy booking other projects.
A Look Back at the Twilight Saga:
- Catherine Hardwicke directed the first film of the series and was responsible for casting Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, as well as the rest of the huge ensemble cast. Working with a budget of just $37 million, Twilight brought in $69 million its opening weekend, earning Hardwicke a spot in the history books with the biggest opening weekend of a film directed by a woman.
- Much to the surprise of Twilight fans, Hardwicke was replaced as director of the second film by Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass). Weitz had a slightly bigger budget to work with, $50 million, and New Moon blew past Twilight's opening weekend numbers, posting $143 million its first weekend and going on to earn $688 million worldwide before exiting theaters.
- The third film of the series, Eclipse, was directed by David Slade. Slade's no stranger to vampire stories, though his previous excursion into the genre was with decidedly gorier and more adult material. Slade directed 30 Days of Night starring Josh Hartnett, but there wasn't a single vegetarian vampire - or one that sparkled in the sunlight - in that R-rated 2007 film. Slade's Eclipse budget is estimated to be $70 million.
