OK, I'm a little late in posting this, but hey, it's the weekend, and I'm currently up to my ears in Xmas decorations, trying to finish up before tonight's Survivor finale!

Summit Entertainment made it official on Friday that Chris Weitz is indeed directing Twilight's anticipated sequel New Moon (which means he'll be on his way to Vancouver at this very moment to begin preproduction). In an effort to calm fans, the following was emailed to those registered at www.TwilightTheMovie.com

Subject: Message from Chris Weitz

Dear fans of Twilight, New Moon, Bella, Edward and Jacob,

In the past few days I have been involved in a whirlwind romance with Stephenie Meyers' extraordinary books.

And I am very grateful to have received her permission to protect New Moon in its translation from the page to the screen.

For fans of the books and of the film of Twilight, this may come as an unexpected twist. So I want to write briefly to try to put you at ease, and to give you reason to hope for and expect the best.

For the last decade of my career as a director, I have chosen to make adaptations of complex and involved works of literature. This has always begun with the love of a book and its characters, story, and theme; and it has always involved a respect of and responsiveness to the feelings of other people who loved those books.

When I saw the film of Twilight, I was alternately entranced and left hungry for more. I was also struck by the extraordinary passion for the characters, story and theme that was evident in the people sitting in the seats around me. My job is to live up to that devotion.

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. 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.

For the rest, the proof will have to be in the pudding. But I promise to remain responsive to your hopes and fears.

I thank you for this opportunity and for your faith.

Very best, Chris Weitz



OK, sounds sincere, let's give him a chance. While I wasn't a fan of The Golden Compass, I absolutely loved About A Boy ...

I'm seeing red over Twilight's sequel -- New Moon.

As if I wasn’t worried enough about New Moon, Twilight’s sequel, already, EW.com is reporting that Summit Entertainment is upping the budget to $50 million – really, a whole $50 million?
Twilight’s reported budget was only $37 million and it showed. One of the biggest complaints from fans was regarding the cheap special effects.
So, after taking in $70 million in its opening weekend, and nearly $140 million in its first three weeks (more than three times its budget), Summit has seen fit to greenlight the second film for a whole $13 million more. WOW!
This is disturbing to all fans, I’m sure, since we already know what happens in the second movie (Twilight’s a VERY successful book series, afterall). This is the flick that introduces the werewolves (natural enemy of the vampire) to the story. And, as described, the humans “phase” into the werewolves, changing almost instantly. That’s going to look pretty crappy if they have to go with stop-motion or some other cheap effect.
The EW report also discloses that Summit has set a tentative release date for New Moon of Nov. 20, 2009, with word that the director replacing Catherine Hardwicke needs to be in "Vancouver by Dec. 15 to begin 12 weeks of preproduction before a mid-March start date." Date check: Monday is Dec. 15! and a director hasn't been confirmed yet, although reports state that Golden Compass director Chris Weitz has been offered the job.
It would have been a better bet to keep Hardwicke, considering she already is familiar with the storyline and has experience in what worked and didn't in the first movie. However, it might not have been Summit's decision afterall, a source close to Hardwicke disclosed to EW, "She'd love to do the sequel if she could do it better than Twilight. It became clear that Summit didn't have those same priorties." Obviously.
What director in their right mind would take the helm under these circumstances? Weitz certainly doesn't need back-to-back fantasy flops. Considering that anticipation is always greater for a sequel than the original, if New Moon stinks, word will spread quickly and fans won't come back.
Also in question is New Moon's script, as written by Melissa Rosenberg. She scripted Twilight under the gun of the looming writers' strike earlier this year, which might account for some of its short-comings. I was hoping with more time, she could present a better one for New Moon, but certainly not under these rushed circumstances. Rosenberg is also reported to be writing the script for the third movie (Eclipse), which might be made back-to-back with New Moon. How's that for a rush-job?

Jacob Black
SPOILER ALERT: skip past next photo to avoid.



There also may be plans for Summit to replace Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black. I originally thought this might be a good idea when I first heard he was cast in Twilight. Afterall, in New Moon, Black hits puberty and REALLY grows, if you know what I mean (I'm talking werewolf here). The book makes it clear that Jacob's much taller and much more muscular. But I really did enjoy Lautner in Twilight, he made a bigger impression on me than I would have thought. And New Moon would really afford him an opportunity to shine. (Calm down y'all, I'm still totally Team Edward!)





Twilight's Edward & Bella


Back to the budget -- If the stars are really getting paid the $12 million that's been alluded to on the Internet, that leaves only $26 million for special effects, a reported location shoot in Italy, salaries for the rest of the cast, crew, director, etc. WTH? Is Summit purposely sabatoging its sure-thing franchise?