Many people have been upset about Catherine Hardwicke's direction of Twilight. And while I've seen the movie with my beloved Robert Pattinson a grand total of four times, it wasn't due to her directing ... so I can't say I'm upset or surprised. Writer Nikki Finke has all the details (click here for the full story) -- but suffice it to say she had myriad disagreements with the studio and made choices for the script and story that just didn't jive with people's ideas. (Hello, Edward not dazzling in the meadow as much as he should have, for one!)
"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon. Directing Twilight has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film," Hardwicke said in a recent interview. "I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel -- it is a great story."
As my friend Kate -- who I saw the movie with on Friday night -- said, "New Moon has werewolves and a trip to Italy!" Let's hope that New Moon and Eclipse are helmed by a more competent director. In any case, stay tuned for some pictures of Robert at the premiere in Germany!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Twilight News: Catherine Hardwicke Not Directing New Moon
Labels:
Robert Pattinson,
Twilight
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I work in the industry, and news of Hardwicke's leave from the series has been a major source of debate, especially with us women. Wording of her dismissal from the side of Summit (the production company in charge of this movie series) has had extremely sexist undertones, citing that one of the reasons Hardwicke was dismissed was because she was hard to work with and "irrational" (something that, frankly, many directors are, male OR female, but for it to be cited as THE major reason...). Actually, I'm surprised they didn't outright call her a "bitch" (well, according to this "insider," anyway).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have word from my own sources that Summit seriously restricted Hardwicke's vision of the story with severe restraints on the budget. According to those involved in post-production of "Twilight" (special effects and such), Summit gave them NO budget, despite all of Hardwicke's requests. Apparently, this was a major source of contention between Hardwicke and the production company. And, unfortunately, this is only one example.
As for the sequel, I'd advise people not to get their hopes up too high. My same source also told me that another female director was interviewed to helm the sequel. Unfortunately, she got a first-hand account of what Hardwicke had to deal with (little to no prep time for shooting and peanuts for the job). Long story short, this director turned down the job as well. Summit apparently thinks that it has enough buzz with this series to sell their version of mediocrity, and whatever money they earned from "Twilight," they're obviously not planning to reinvest it in the sequel to up the ante.
I don't know what Summit's deal is, but I have to say that I'm losing respect for them more and more.