Catherine Hardwicke will not direct 'Twilight' sequels
Despite introducing America's most successful new movie franchise, Catherine Hardwicke will not direct the sequels to "Twilight." Summit Entertainment Co-Chairman/Chief Executive Rob Friedman tells Nikki Finke of DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com: "Catherine and Summit have agreed to part ways on the sequel because our visions are different."
Finke reports a source says the studio is taking Hardwicke off the sequel because she "was 'difficult' and 'irrational' during the making of "Twilight." The movie received lukewarm reviews — scoring 53 on Metacritic — but it nabbed respectful notices from some major media, such as Entertainment Weekly magazine and the Los Angeles Times, was produced for a modest budget of $40 million and has grossed more than $160 million in several weeks. Most hit films suffer huge attendance plunges after opening weekend, but "Twilight" has held on for a third weekend, coming in second place these last few days, reaping $13.2 million. The success of "Twilight" is so spectacular that plans are now underway to shoot the next two installments of Stephenie Meyers' books — "New Moon" and "Eclipse" — back to back in order to save money.
"This terrible news for Hardwicke comes just as she and the 'Twilight' cast (Robert Pattinson, Kristin Stewart) are on their European press tour," Finke adds. "No doubt tomorrow's interviews in France will now focus entirely on what, if anything, Catherine did to deserve this treatment. This also could blow up into a scandal for Summit if it chooses a male director over Hardwicke, whose 'Twilight' easily beat Mimi Leder's 1998 'Deep Impact' box office gross as the biggest opener for a female director."
The Los Angeles Times applauded Hardwicke's direction of "Twilight": "Neither Laurence Olivier attempting Shakespeare nor Konstantin Stanislavski tackling Chekhov approached their material with the degree of reverence that Hardwicke brings to 'Twilight.' A director whose entire career ('Thirteen,' 'Lords of Dogtown,' even 'The Nativity Story') has been built on the veneration of young adults, Hardwicke has connected so intensely to the Meyer novel that it's hard to imagine anyone else making a better version.
"Hardwicke also was instrumental in casting Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as the star-crossed Bella and Edward, and those choices were excellent, not only because they're skilled performers but also because they too threw themselves into their parts as if they were Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor doing 'Camille' for George Cukor."
Entertainment Weekly said: "On screen, 'Twilight' is repetitive and a tad sodden, too prosaic to really soar. But Hardwicke stirs this teen pulp to a pleasing simmer." The Philadelphia Inquirer cheered Hardwicke for helming "Twilight" with "savvy humor."
The studio issued the following press notice:
"Summit Entertainment and director Catherine Hardwicke jointly announced today that the filmmaker will not be directing the next installment in the newly minted 'Twilight' film franchise. Summit’s targeted end of 2009 or early 2010 release of the film, 'New Moon,' does not work with Ms. Hardwicke's required prep time to bring her vision of the film to the big screen. Thus, as has been done before with many successful film franchises, the studio will employ a new director for 'New Moon.'
"'I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct "New Moon,"' said Hardwicke. '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. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel — it is a great story.'
"'Catherine did an incredible job in helping us to launch the 'Twilight' franchise and we thank her for all of her efforts and we very much hope to work with her on future Summit projects,' said Summit President of Production Erik Feig. 'We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created. We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch.'"
Top photo: Catherine Hardwicke. Lower photo: Robert Pattinson and Hardwicke. Credit: Rick Bowmer / Associated Press
Catherine was the best director ever to do this we should all be grateful. She is the reason their ever was a movie.
Posted by: Krista | May 24, 2009 at 12:13 PM
i SAW THE MOVIE FIRST THEN READ THE BOOK. AS A 5O SOMETHING WOMAN i LOVED THE MOVIE. iT WAS A VERY SENSUAL MOVIE. The chemistry between the two stars was great.Facial expressions were awesome. The soundtrack is wild and I loved all of the characters. Granted it may not have been the best movie ever but I bought it and everyone to whom I have showed it to has loved it. I hope the new director does a good job if not better than Catherine did. With the decision to choose Pattinson and Stewart as the two leads makes her a good director. My only complaint was the makeup job on Rob. It was sometimes too noticable. And that crummy wig Jacob Black had on. With Rob not being in this next movie as much, may have a big impact on the attendance. I know I won't be so anxious to see it.
Posted by: tASH FAN | April 12, 2009 at 11:01 PM
that guy she has a arcutecual backround so she can draw and visulize what she's going to do. that can help the actors and actresses. I think she did a goo job on Twilight so the is#$%*ed up
Posted by: Stephanie | January 06, 2009 at 08:13 PM
the movies were horrible.
I read the books first, they were amazing the movie wuz horrible!! So in a way, they r doing a good thing firing catherine, unless the next mvie is even worse than this one...The movie isn't close to the book AT FRCKN ALL! She could've tried much harder and maybe thought about what the rest of her "crew' wanted as well. Wutevr... Bye Bye Catherine Hardwicke, see ya nvr.
Posted by: Sherri | December 23, 2008 at 05:12 PM
well... as good as a movie twilight was it could've used more of the books personal touches. i believe the real reason she got the boot was because many people can agree she left out alot of parts that in my opinion could've made the movie better. i mean she had to expect this when you get involved with twilight you have to be involved with twilight. when i heard i was sad because would if rob and kristen don't come back i loved their performance and the chemistry was amazing she needs to get a co-director not leave!
Posted by: valeria | December 15, 2008 at 08:50 AM
firing catherine is a big loss for the summit, why would they fire catherine? she had been a very good director of twilight,, it is not about that catherine and the summit had a different visions but it is about how catherine had caught the eyes and the feelings of the young adults in directing the movie twilight..I as a 11 year old girl, i felt the influence in watching it,,,, catherine had make a goodjob,,, she had direct it so good and she even make the movie conquered the whole world and minds of all young adults..finding a director that will do a better job than catherine had dOne is a difficult one...the filipinos, the americans the chinese, japanese etc. they all liked what ceatherine had did... for the summit...YOU SHOULD START PRAYING THAT YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE WHO'S BETTER THAN CATHERINE HAD DONE. I'LL BE WATCHING THE NEW MOON AND KNOW IF IT'S STILL GOOD HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Posted by: abigail silvio | December 12, 2008 at 10:36 PM
I agreee is the best new about the movies!! I´M SOOOOOOO HAPPY!....
Posted by: melissa | December 09, 2008 at 04:06 PM
I thought the movie was great! Look how much money it made in like 3 weeks. The books I know say more and have more detail, but you can't fit that into a movie. That's why you have actors so they can be the characters. I think the movie summed up the book. Plus the budget was about 40 million and I think the special effects were great. You people act like it's supposed to have all these great special effects. GET OVER IT! It's just the first movie anyway and I think as long as they don't change the cast it will be GREAT!
Posted by: Kelly | December 09, 2008 at 01:48 PM
unreal...i feel terrible for her. i wonder what the real REAL reason is...
God this is such a cutthroat business...
Posted by: cwick | December 08, 2008 at 10:59 PM
I still believe in Catherine's capabilities as a director for New Moon. She obviously loves the Twilight Saga and this passion showed in the way she casted and directed the movie. Much thought and love went into the process and it was not simply a job for her. I believe though that something should be done about the screenplay. Twilight is a 498 page book and I can't understand why they had to invent certain scenes, like that school trip to the compost facility and the forest scenes where Edward and Bella were getting to know each other better. There were many many memorable scenes, moments and lines in the book that they could have used. For one, I expected so much more from the meadow scene. In the movie, it was like they just skimmed through it. How could they do this when this was for me one of the highlights of the book. Such a great disappointment there. I hope Summit realizes that staying true to the book is the ONLY way to go. An example of a movie adapted from a book that turned out equally as good as the book is The Godfather. I watched the movie first and read the book after. The book simply illuminated the movie more. It gave an in depth idea and background of the different characters in the movie. With Twilight, for those who will read the book after watching the movie, the reaction is likely going to be "Huh?! This is not quite it." So Summit, listen up and stay true. If New Moon doesn't turn out right, you can forget all about Eclipse because instead of going to watch the movie, I'll just hunker down and read the books all over again, and still relish it every time.
Posted by: Tina | December 08, 2008 at 10:43 PM
I hope summit thought this through. With the budget Hardwicke had to deal with, she could have done worse. She made twilight a good film. She did cast the right actors, did a great job with the fight scenes, though some special effects were off, again, because of the tight budget, she did not disappoint the readers. I wonder what the cast think of the bad news.
Posted by: Alex | December 08, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Oh my goodness,That is the greatest news. I was in awe about how bad the movie turned out. I know that books are always way better, but cmon. A book is almost a script within itself... How could you mess it up so badly?!! The key parts of the book were poorly played out in the movie, and some of them completly left out. Hope the next one will be worth watching!! Get someone Good. And I am a women so nothing against that!!LOL.
Posted by: Angela | December 08, 2008 at 09:20 PM
I was deeply disappointed that the movie deviated so much from the book. The meadow scene which I believe was so pivotal to the love story was so different. I got confused after watching the movie that I had to re-read the book again to get the story right. The movie also failed to bring out the emotions (infatuation, deep love, and suffering) of Bella and Edward. It also failed to bring out the protectiveness of the whole Cullen family towards Bella ( Emmett during the escape, Alice and Jasper in the hotel, etc.). If I did not read the book, I would not know this part.
Posted by: Liza | December 08, 2008 at 08:45 PM
How do you guys feel about katheyn Bigelow or Len Wiseman
Posted by: rebecca | December 08, 2008 at 07:39 PM
I could not be happier with this announcement! I actually screamed when I saw the news headline pop up on my screen. Although she did good casting, the movie suffered so much from her hand held shots and choppy cuts. This series deserves a higher-caliber director.
Posted by: Kayla | December 08, 2008 at 04:44 PM
Not surprised about this. She did do a good job casting Kristen and Robert. However, the young actor playing Jacob will not do in the sequel. Jacob will need to have the physical looks as far as competition for Edward and needs to be much taller. Catherine should have thought ahead on that. Also, Kristen is a superior young actor and you can see it in her interaction with pro Billy Burke. Pattinson needs to step up his game with Kristen and hopefully a new director can make that happen
Posted by: J Sells | December 08, 2008 at 03:00 PM
Sadly, money speaks and Summit is heeding its call. Catherine and her creative force is collateral to this decision.
My love for the saga has seriously deflated with this news. One of the main reasons I was so excited for the movie, and so happy with its results, was because Catherine was directing. I was a fan of Lords of Dogtown and knew she had a knack for making beautiful stories out of youth culture.
Most of the cast took on the job because Catherine was directing. Catherine basically cast Kristin in the role. And Kristin cast Rob.
When Twilight was in production, this was still an indie movie. No one realized the huge expectations that were going to be thrust on it upon release . Now that it’s reached blockbuster status, they are — yes, I hate this term, but it’s so appropriate — SELLING OUT.
I am totally disappointed that Catherine is not directing New Moon. There will be a serious loss of heart in the next movie, people. Heart. Passion. You know, like the beating of blood in Bella’s heart. The next movie will be a vampire flick alright, devoid of pumping blood and passion. It’ll be just another Hollywood blockbuster. Yawn.
Posted by: Maggie | December 08, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Maybe the new director will use a real native american to play Jacob in the movie.
A disgrace to use a fake one!
Posted by: libby | December 08, 2008 at 02:48 PM
I am curious what the actors have to say - especially Pattinson & Stewart , who were attracted to the project becasue Hardwicke was directing.
I do hope Summit know what they are doing - if preparation time was the issue, what will an entirely new director who will have even less time to prepare now be able to produce. Would the new director have been able to make a better Twilight movie with such a miniscule budget?
Whoever this new director is, a prerequisite will be to have passion for the story as Hardwicke does.
I'm not so sure that this is a wise decision...
Posted by: Cullensita | December 08, 2008 at 02:39 PM
Uh, why does Finke think it would be a scandal to replace Hardwicke with a male again? Are women supposed to get preferential treatment simply because of their gender? I for one, am for the eradication, not encouragement, of sexism in Hollywood.
How about replacing her with a more skilled director? Or a director that is willing to work with others? Who cares what genitals they have?
Posted by: john | December 08, 2008 at 02:22 PM
i just hope they don't make new moon into an action flick with way too much cg just so they can get more boys to come. it's bella's story and needs to be directed with that in mind.
Posted by: k8 | December 08, 2008 at 02:21 PM
Difficult and irrational? Then why does Michael Bay keep getting hired? Pleeeeeeeease. Enough with
the double standard.
Posted by: crew girl | December 08, 2008 at 02:03 PM
I knew the movie wasn't going to compare to the books, but I hoped it would at least be good.
The prime example of the movie's shortcomings was the meadow scene. I had a completely different vision for this scene, and frankly, it was better than Hardwicke's, and I have no directing experience whatsover.
The second example was Kristen Stewart's acting. Could she be any more monotone? Less compelling? Any more stilted for pete's sake? She's got the look, but her delivery was way off the mark. If Hardwicke was determined to keep her as Bella, she needed a lot more coaching.
The whole time I watched this movie, I was waiting for the romance to come across. I think I was so excited, I forced myself to recognize it.
I think this change is good, but I hope whoever they have in mind for Hardwicke's replacement will know how to maintain the integrity of this cool love story.
Posted by: Camille | December 08, 2008 at 01:28 PM
I've also heard through the grapevine she's incredibly difficult and arrogant, especially considering how thin her resume is. Call it the Terence Howard Disease/
Posted by: Harry | December 08, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Mmmmm difficult ,Twilight was an amazing thing and im just as hooked as any other pre teen would be , so in so maney words the movie sucked but i exspected as much, i mean c'mon its twilight we all knew the movie was gonna suck anyway.,BUT i thought it could have been done wayyy better. O and to summit spend more money new moon diserves it and catherine doesent deserve to be treated this way u can honestly tell she tried her hardest she just dident fit the job tittel as director ps DO NOT CHANGE ANY CHARACTERS ESPECCIALLY THE CULLENS THEY WERE AMAZING! Edward needs to be less okward and more smooth and Bella needs to stop sounding like shes having orgazimes when shes in pain lol overall the movie was to cheesy but no worrys stephine meyer we stand by u and love u as much as ever but the movie was only a money maker because of stephine so u should be thanking her BIG time.
Posted by: jiil | December 08, 2008 at 12:32 PM