Summit begins search for ‘New Moon’ Director

Dec 7th, 2008 | By | Category: Featured Articles

This just came in from Summit Entertainment.

SUMMIT BEGINS SEARCH FOR NEW MOON DIRECTOR
Los Angeles, CA, December 7, 2008 – 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 Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production. “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.”

41 Comments to “Summit begins search for ‘New Moon’ Director”

  1. Amanda says:

    she did an okay job, but i wasn’t thrilled.
    i would think someone like terry gilliam would do justice to stephenie meyer’s stories.
    well, whoever they pick, at least we can go there knowing that summit is bringing something new to the table.

  2. Erica says:

    WOW i thought she was going to do all of them.

  3. Bagels says:

    i always wonder when they release an article like this what really went on. r they getting someone new cuz they think she (yes, i’m hoping it’s a ‘she’) can do better, or is it really cuz catherine can’t finish the 2nd one as fast as they’d like. oh well, either way, i’m interested to see how someone new interprets it.
    plus, late 2009 early 2010, that’s only about a year!!!!!!

  4. Lauren says:

    NOOOOOOO
    🙁

    now the twilight series is gonna become like harry potter – different directors with different styles. NO!
    that makes me sad. i was really hoping all the films would flow with the same aesthetics throughout.
    i was going to have a hard enough time enjoying the plot line in new moon, but now i have to suck it up with a new director.

    🙁

  5. Madison Team Edward says:

    No,I hope they Hire another Feamle Director

  6. Lyncoln says:

    I’m very disappointed about Catherine being let go as director. She has so much passion for the series. I’ll only feel better if the director they choose is well known and knows what they’re doing. I thought Catherine had a decent idea of how New Moon should be, so I’m worried that they want to go in a different direction. I guess time will tell…

  7. Sa'Misty says:

    Cool… I didn’t really like what se did with it… With a new director and bigger budget New Moon will be freaking AWSOME!!!!

  8. Ashley says:

    NOOOOO! I HEARD THE NEWS 2DAY AND I’M REALLY UPSET! SHE DID AN AMAZING JOB AND I HAVE A BAD FEELING THAT IF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT GETS A BAD DIRECTOR, THE MOVIE WILL FLOP! PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN!(UNLESS THEY GET A GREAT DIRECTOR THEN, I’M FINE BUT I ♥ CATHERINE!)

  9. Samie says:

    i was very suprized to hear this! i thought she was doing all the movies to..Oh well but not im kinda scared! i hope they get a girl director, cuz i dont think a guy can really get all the emotions right fore new moon… new moon is a very emotional moive. maybe a guy can do it… but im not to sure… well im very scared anyways i hope everything works out! summit should get a poll out to see what we all want and what not… (want as in the movie plot wise, and what we think in genernal)

  10. Elizabeth says:

    Ohmygosh! Thats horrible. I really really liked Catherine Hardwicke! Im so upest. I though she did an amazing job.. ]:

  11. Jenine says:

    Thats really fucked up??!?!
    I could almost cry….but oh well, life has to go on.
    However, i wonder if Catherine will tell the press its okay and Summit and herself are all cool, but really she wants to saw F**k all you guys!!! I made Twilight the Sh”t now your fireing me? Bunch of AHoles!!!LOl

  12. Heather D says:

    I loved the energy Catherine had. She was always so excited and up beat and happy. I hope whoever they get has that same passion. I’d perfer a different screen writer instead. oh well.

  13. KingzGambit says:

    I’m a little apprehensive about this development. I didn’t feel any particular attachment to Mrs. Hardwicke; the movie was good but not outstanding after all. However if the reason they give for this change is true, that the studio wants to cash in as soon as possible while Mrs. Hardwicke wanted more time to do it right… it makes me worry about what the final product will look like.

  14. Amber says:

    YES! I was hoping for a new director! And the Harry Potter movies look fine being directed by different people. It gives the films different looks and views! Can’t wait until New Moon!

  15. Alice says:

    Kind of figured they would go with a different director. It will be the same screenplay writer, as with all the HP, except no. 5, which was written by a different writer. To me, it’s the screenplay writer that makes all the difference, and if they keep the same one for all of them then the directing won’t change it that much. Steven Kloves kept the HP films closer to the books then the guy that wrote no. 5, and while not everything from the book can translate to the big screen, I think the lady that wrote this screenplay did a great job with what she had to change. It certainly needs to be a female, because I don’t think a male director will get it.

  16. Someone says:

    YYYEEEAAA!!!
    I hope the new one will do a wayyy Better JJJOOOBBB!!!!!

  17. TW says:

    That’s sad thank you Catherine ! New Moon .. now !!!

    EVERYONE VOTE FOR OUR TWILIGHT GUYS …

    http://popsugar.com/2572902

  18. esther says:

    To be honest, I think she could have have done a better job and therefore I am fine with her leaving but if they want to fire someone, they should fire Melissa Rosenberg the script was just plain awful. I pray to god that they choose Joe Wright or Alfonso Cuarón to direct New Moon.

  19. Annie says:

    I am kinda glad and not glad, half and half. Glad, because it would be nice to get the film from a different person’s view and hopefully they will do a better job with it. Why i am not glad though, cuz it might be worse! and i hope it doesn’t turn into the whole Harry Potter thing where practically each movie is a different director with a different style. I thought Catherine did an ok job though it could have been way better. Anyways, let’s hope they don’t get a crappy director and the movie will be amazing guys!

  20. Teri says:

    ^^Ohh, Alfonso Cuaron would be a terrific choice. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still the best of the HP films, in my opinion, and that’s the one he directed. I think he’d do amazing with New Moon (and the rest of the series for that matter). No offense to Catherine, but maybe this change will be for the better.

  21. Lauren says:

    I am so upset! Catherine Hardwicke has been my favorite director since she and Nikki co-wrote Thirteen. A movie she directed several years layer, Lords of Dogtown, is also one of my favorite movies.

    I really don’t want to see these movies turn into a franchise like Harry Potter.

    The only major flaw in the movie was the screenplay, or how it turned out.
    I am so disappointed that Catherine’s not returning.

  22. Jenn says:

    I have high hopes that Summit will pick an excellent director. One that knows the book inside and out and is willing to make it the best next installment of the Twilight series. I only ask that the next director give character in depth to the actors and a longer movie.

  23. the twilight freak says:

    that’s really sad. what if they hire a really lame director to take her spot just to save money? is that even possible? idk…

  24. […] Rank has fallen… So we need your votes!  Please take a sec and vote for us!  THANKS! Summit begins search for ‘Ne … Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:48:57This just came in from Summit Entertainment. SUMMIT BEGINS SEARCH FOR NEW […]

  25. ... says:

    “now the twilight series is gonna become like harry potter – different directors with different styles. NO!
    that makes me sad. i was really hoping all the films would flow with the same aesthetics throughout.
    i was going to have a hard enough time enjoying the plot line in new moon, but now i have to suck it up with a new director.”

    well…i hadn’t thought of it that way until i read that comment…and i guess thats true 🙁
    they had better have a female director, though

  26. Mellie says:

    This is upsetting…i liked what Catherine did with Twilight considering what she had to work with and I was looking forward to seeing what she was going to do with New Moon…=(

  27. Reni says:

    Aw i thought Catherine was going to come back… she was awesome..I was actually excitted she was going to do New Moon, she did an aweosome job with Twilight tho.. i dont think anyone else would have done it better thatn that… *sniff sniff*

  28. verena says:

    NOOOOOOO! i really really like catherin! i can´t tell if she has done a good job on twilight or not couse the movie comes out in january here but you coudl tell that she is as a crazy fan as we are. and now probably some stupid male (sorry) director who doesn´t understand why we love the books comes and ruins new moon!
    argh we have to wait and see as ever

  29. Jacq says:

    Now I’m worried. I hope the series continuity will not be affected hugely with Summit’s decision.

  30. Melaine says:

    My biggest concern is that they are going to rush the making of this film. Catherine felt the time frame to prep the film and get it all right was too short. Summit just wants to crank em out. Yes, the fans want more but we want it to be good. Not rushed and horrible!

  31. Melaine says:

    Plus – if they kept her, they could have gotten to work right away. Now they have to spend time looking for a new director and getting him/her up to speed.

  32. Melaine says:

    On another note – did y’all see the preview for Summit’s “Push” before Twilight? Why couldn’t we have cool special effects like that????

  33. Wray says:

    Here’s a quote from Anne Thompson at Variety that I think says it all:

    “The problem that stalled negotiations was that Hardwicke had strong opinions about what to do with the next installment, and so did Summit. The debate was how to focus the adaptation of the second book, which deals more with giant werewolves than vampires, as well as the long depression of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), after her vampire lover (Rob Pattinson) leaves her. One issue was how to get more of teen heartthrob Pattinson into the film. (Rosenberg has figured out a device to achieve this.) But Hardwicke, burned out from her “Twilight” labors, simply wasn’t willing to jam this movie with a script that still needed months of development.”

    Guys, Catherine Hardwicke really went to bat for the fans, and she made Summit a bundle of money. Now that they give her a bigger budget for better special effects, etc., they let her go? The timing alone makes them look bad, not her. I just hope for the best – for Catherine and the next movie.

  34. Tara K. says:

    I think she did the best job of bringing the beloved story of Twilight to the screen. I don’t necessarily agree with everything that was in the movie, but with what I’ve heard that might’ve become the Twilight movie (I heard about night-vision goggles; & other crazy, unrelated stuff as well) she did a great job. So overall, I think she did the best that anyone else would have done.

    I am really glad that they may bring the movie out sooner. If they are bringing it out later than was to be expected with Hardwicke, I’m going to be really upset because if they do decide to make Eclipse and possibly Breaking Dawn (good luck with THAT!) the actors will be too old, look to different, and it will mess up everyone’s thoughts and visions of the Twilight saga.

    I hope she (Catherine Hardwicke) does well with whatever else she works on, and who knows? Maybe she will help a little in future Twilight movies (If there will be anymore besides New Moon). Thanks Ms. Hardwicke for your hard work!

  35. jennn says:

    This makes me sad 🙁 I love Catherine, she was so good!

  36. Sarah says:

    I am sad that Catherine won’t be returning to direct New Moon. She did a good job directing Twilight. I hope Twilight doesn’t become one of those series that hops around directors, like Harry Potter did. I think all the Harry Potter movies were directed very well and they roughly stayed true to the book. But, it would make me sad to learn they couldn’t stick with a director. I wish the new no-named director good luck, and I hope they stay true to Stephenie, the fans, and the characters.

  37. Amanda says:

    Sarah, you made a good point. I wish the new director, whoever it may be, good luck and I really hope that they try their hardest to make sure that Stephenie’s vision comes through. I think Catherine did a good job but she could’ve done a better job bringing Stephenie’s masterpiece to the big screen. The movie overall left me a bit disappointed with how it was put together and I think now this offers a chance for New Moon to be a better movie than Twilight and not feel so rushed. I wish the best for Catherine on whatever comes next for her and good luck to everyone that will end up working on New Moon. I know I would love to have the movie come out as soon as possible but I would be willing to wait until 2010 if it means that the movie will be put together better and not be such a rushed story to pack everything in there. I’d rather have the extra time to get the movie right.

  38. CullenCrazy17 says:

    a new director wouldnt b that bad…but this is soooo surprising! i was so convinced she would work on all of them! but as long as they keep the cast! 🙂

  39. Kelly says:

    how could they!
    twilight with out catherine isnt twilight!
    she made twilight! if not for her we could have the roller skating bella!
    this worries me greatly—– they could ruin new moon! :'(

  40. Cathy says:

    Thank the Lord! Some of the work/shooting, editing that was done could have been done by any of us. The work was way too choppy. She did produce moments of brilliance, but there were too many scenes that look like they were first takes and she left it at that.

    I think a fresh approach would be better. Look at the Harry Potter movies. They switched directors multiiple times and they only got better!

  41. LenaJ says:

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! no way, imso sad now , i really like what catherine did with the movie i think she really understands stephenie and bella im so sad now i was so sure she would direct all the movies, aaaah im so frustrated right now.

Leave a Comment for Cathy