Dec 13, 2008 - Summit Entertainment's moved lightning fast in replacing director Catherine Hardwicke on the second film of the Twilight series, New Moon. Hardwicke left the Twilight franchise over differences in 'scheduling' as Summit Entertainment wanted/needed to quickly get into production on New Moon in early 2009 and Hardwicke didn't think that would give her time to adequately prepare (according to a statement issued by the studio on December 7th). Now word comes that Chris Weitz - director of Down to Earth, About a Boy, and The Golden Compass - will helm New Moon.
In a statement issued by Summit Entertainment Eric Feig, President of Production, said, "We love Stephenie Meyer's fantastic Twilight series. Thinking long and hard about how to turn New Moon into the amazing movie we know it will be, and working with Stephenie Meyer to find the right candidate, we are thrilled to announce Chris Weitz as director of the film. Chris very much understands the world of New Moon and has the skill set required to bring the book to glorious life as a movie. We think he will be an excellent steward of Stephenie Meyer's vision."
Weitz stated, "I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding New Moon from the page to the screen. The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book."
Weitz and Summit also sent out a note to Twilight fans who'd registered for updates on Twilight's official site. That note included an acknowledgement from Weitz that he understands fans are concerned over the change in directors.
"Like many of you, I am a fan of Catherine Hardwicke's work. I can't really say much about why she is not doing New Moon because I wasn't involved in those decisions," said Weitz in the email to fans. "But I can say that I will devote myself to making the very best and most faithful version of New Moon that can be brought to the screen. To those who doubt that as a male director I can capture Bella's experience, I can only say that emotion is universal and that my work has often involved working with some of the most talented actresses in the world."
Summit's press release also included the following synopsis of the film version of New Moon:
"In New Moon, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested."
It's interesting to note that Stewart and Pattinson are mentioned by name but Taylor Lautner is not. There's been a lot of speculation over Lautner's return as Jacob Black for the second film of the franchise, and Summit has not confirmed that he is in fact back on board. New Moon focuses more on Jacob's character than it does on Edward's, and the Jacob in Stephenie Meyer's New Moon undergoes a growth spurt and other physical changes that obviously Lautner can't duplicate (unless he suddenly grows half a dozen inches, manages to look like he's in his early 20s, and puts on 30 or so pounds). But it's not like Jacob's look should be news to the studio. New Moon was published in 2006 before Lautner was cast as Jacob so the studio knew where the character was heading when he signed on.
It's going to be interesting to see which direction Summit and director Chris Weitz decide to go with Jacob and how fans react to their decision, whatever it may be. Confirmation of Lautner's attachment to New Moon - or news of his replacement - should come fairly quickly as Summit revs up the pre-production process.
Summit's aiming for a late 2009 or early 2010 release of New Moon.
