Italy Shooting Details of 'New Moon'

February 04, 2009 02:14:10 GMT
Director Chris Weitz will bring the cameras to a Tuscany region in Italy two months after kicking off 'New Moon' production in Vancouver in March

In line to what Kristen Stewart had said earlier, some parts of "New Moon" will be filmed in Italy. Giving further details on the production in this particular European country, Variety reported that the sequel of "Twilight" will be shot in an ancient town in Tuscany region called Volterra.

The trade further explained that the shooting in Italy will be done for two weeks in May, two months after the principal photography begins in Vancouver in March. The town of Volterra itself, in the Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her "Twilight" series, has been described as the place where the powerful Volturi vampire coven reside.

In relation to the Volturi vampire coven, the Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated actress Dakota Fanning is currently in negotiations to play one of the Volturi members, Jane. "The character is what I would be excited about," she told E! News of the character while promoting "Coraline" over the weekend. "It's kind of evil, something I've never done before, and it's a vampire. You know, it's really cool, so I really hope it works out."

While revealing that she hasn't read "New Moon" novel, the soon-to-be 15-year-old admitted she is flattered to be considered right for the role. "I know that Twilight is so sacred to some people, and I know that when people cast certain people, people have their opinions and that's their right," the "Push" star explained. "That's very flattering that they think I'd be right for the part."

A sequel to 2008 hit vampire drama "Twilight", "New Moon" will be directed by "The Golden Compass" helmer Chris Weitz using the script penned by "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg. The romantic drama will see the return of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner among others.

Centering on the personal conflict Bella experiences, it will chronicle the time Bella Swan is left devastated by the abrupt departure of Edward Cullen. Finding solace in her friendship with Jacob Black, she soon finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves and her loyalty to the vampires is tested. The Summit Entertainment movie is aimed for November 20, 2009 U.S. release.

AnnaLynne McCord Considered for a 'New Moon' Role
February 05, 2009 03:34:43 GMT
AnnaLynne McCord, the Naomi Clark of '90210', has reportedly been taken into account to play Heidi in the 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon'.

Another casting speculation for "New Moon" has been thrown out. Reporting for E!, Marc Malkin exposes that "90210" star AnnaLynne McCord has been considered by the filmmakers behind the "Twilight"sequel as the potential actress to take on the role of gorgeous-looking Heidi.

Malkin further reports that insiders have claimed the 21-year-old actress has auditioned for the role which has been described to "be more like a cameo". If the Eden Lord of "Nip/Tuck" indeed secured the part of Heidi in the sequel, she will join her "90210" co-star Kellan Lutz, who will reprise his role as Emmett. Both McCord's rep and Summit Entertainment have yet to give comments on the speculation.

Described as a "fisher" who brings humans to the Volturi vampires to eat, Heidi isn't a major character in the "New Moon" book. Still, she is known as "bait" because she uses her stunning looks to attract humans. In the book, Bella describes the long-haired and violet-eyed character as having "exceptional, unforgettable" beauty.

Adapted from Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her "Twilight" series, "New Moon" is the sequel to hit vampire drama "Twilight". It follows Bella Swan as she deals with her personal conflicts following Edward Cullen's abrupt departure. The production of "New Moon" is scheduled to begin in mid-March in Vancouver followed with the filming in Italy in May. The Summit Entertainment vampire drama will see the return of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Taylor Lautner and other original stars. To be directed by Chris Weitz, it is scheduled for U.S. release on November 20.

No Vanessa Hudgens as Leah Clearwater in 'New Moon'
February 03, 2009 02:15:10 GMT

Acknowledging the rumor linking Vanessa Hudgens to the Leah Clearwater character, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg slammed down the speculation, stating that Leah won't be seen until 'Eclipse'.

"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" star Vanessa Hudgens will definitely not get the part of Leah Clearwater anytime soon. Teasing out about the matter was "Twilight" and "New Moon" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who claims that the character won't even be seen at least until the third movie, "Eclipse".

"I'm not sure about [final] casting but I had heard Vanessa Hudgens was going up for the part of Leah [Clearwater, a werewolf]," the scribe told People at the 61st Annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday night, January 31. "But at the moment, the part of Leah doesn't happen until the third movie."

For weeks, the 20-year-old actress has been linked to the werewolf character, and reports about it have further developed stating that she has even auditioned for the role. However, her representative has come quick to deny the latter speculation, stating "I don't know anything about the audition. As far as I know, it's just a rumor."

Hudgens rumor aside, Rosenberg also made time to talk about the sequel progress. "Well, you know Taylor Lautner will be back as Jacob Black. I can tell you the original cast will all be coming back," she claimed. "They're on set right now, in Vancouver! They're all up there prepping the movie to start shooting very soon."

On the joining of director Chris Weitz, the screenwriter offered her praise to the helmer, "Chris Weitz directed The Golden Compass, which was a beautiful-looking film." She added, "And I think it's wonderful we have someone who has worked with CGI animals...that will be a big part of New Moon. I'm delighted we have someone who's so expert at that."

"New Moon" is the sequel to hit vampire drama "Twilight". Adapted from Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her "Twilight" series, it will still follow the romantic story between Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), but this time it will center on the personal conflict Bella experiences following Edward's abrupt departure. The production of "New Moon" is scheduled to begin in mid-March for November 20, 2009 U.S. release.

'Twilight' Cast Talk 'New Moon', Dakota Fanning Comments on Jane Role
January 31, 2009 03:21:20 GMT

At the red carpet of 'Push' Los Angeles premiere, Ashley Green, Kellan Lutz, Rachelle Lefevre and Dakota Fanning are all addressing questions around 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon'

Attending the Los Angeles premiere of Paul McGuigan's sci-fi thriller "Push" on Thursday, January 29, Dakota Fanning and several "Twilight" cast made time to talk about "New Moon". Talking to Entertainment Weekly (EW), they discussed various topics from the possibility of Fanning taking the offered role as Jane to the film's script.

Expressing her excitement over the possibility of Fanning portraying Jane, the Alice Cullen of "Twilight", Ashley Greene, said at the red carpet, "Dakota Fanning would be great as Jane. I really hope that rumor becomes reality." Yet, the soon-to-be 15-year-old Fanning revealed that she still isn't sure that she will take the offered role, saying "I think it is too soon to say for sure whether I will or won't be in [New Moon]."

Though confessing her uncertainty, Fanning was quick to say that portraying the role would be a "cool" thing to do since she is a fan of the Stephenie Meyer's novel series. "But it would be really cool to do it," she said. "I am a very big fan of the books. I read them all and Jane is an interesting part. We haven't really sat down and talked about it. So we will see. It was a good experience working with Summit. I guess I now have an in at the company."

Moving on to another topic, Greene fessed up that she has read the Melissa Rosenberg's script for the "Twilight" sequel. "I felt like a spy reading it," she recalled. "It does come very close to the tone and the events that are in book 2. There are a couple of things that were changed which I think make it more interesting for the visual medium but nothing that will upset fans of the books. I think it is safe to say that it will make everyone happy."

While Greene's co-star Kellan Lutz also claimed that he has read the "amazing" screenplay, Rachelle Lefevre unfolded that she hasn't seen the script, insisting "They are guarding the script like it is gold." Nonetheless, Lefevre told EW that she is preparing herself to play vengeful Victoria. "I have to figure out how to channel that much hatred and grief healthily because that is a pretty dark place to go," so she claimed.

"New Moon" will be directed by "The Golden Compass" helmer Chris Weitz. To start production in Vancouver in mid-March for November 20 U.S. release, the vampire drama sequel will still see Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.

Kristen Stewart Comments on 'New Moon' Director and Taylor Lautner
January 23, 2009 09:21:09 GMT

Excited about 'New Moon', Kristen Stewart opens up on what she thinks about the joining of director Chris Weitz and her ease feeling knowing that Taylor Lautner will return as Jacob Black.


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Kristen Stewart has shared her thought on several early concerns related to "New Moon". Revealing to MTV that she is "really excited" about the "Twilight" sequel, the actress who is known for her portrayal as a teenage girl in love with vampire, Bella Swan, stated her confident on both director Chris Weitz and co-star Taylor Lautner for "New Moon".

While many worries about the changing of director from Catherine Hardwicke to Chris Weitz for the sequel, the 18-year-old who has met the filmmaker shows her support for the "The Golden Compass" helmer. "Chris is - on top of him being a really sweet guy - he is entirely devoted," she gushed in the interview with MTV at Sundance. "And he's very clearly not doing the movie just because it's the next big thing. He really likes it a lot."

On the occasion, Stewart also talked about her relief knowing that Taylor Lautner is returning as Jacob Black. Assuring that she will be able to establish chemistry with Lautner like the one she had with Robert Pattinson, she fessed up, "I'm so glad they didn't have to find somebody else; we already had him!"

"I didn't understand all the deliberation on [whether to bring him back]," she further added. "But now that it's set, we can all rest." On Lautner's physical transformation in his effort to keep the role, the "Panic Room" actress exclaimed, "He's really buff! He definitely is. It took him a lot of time."

Though excited to work on the follow-up of the vampire romance drama, Stewart pointed out that much are on the stake right now. "It's such a machine now. All of a sudden, this movie has become [something bigger]," she explained. "With all the expectations - usually, you make a movie and think, 'If it touches people, great; if it doesn't, then you move on to the next one, and no one's personally affected by it.'...Everyone needs to be on the same page to make the same movie [as the original 'Twilight' was]. Or else it will be a very disoriented project."

"New Moon" is an adaptation to Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her "Twilight" series. Penned by "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, it will be directed by Chris Weitz serving behind the lens. The Summit Entertainment movie is reported to start production in Vancouver in mid-March for November 20, 2009 release.

'Privileged' Actress Lucy Hale Has Auditioned for Jane of 'New Moon'
January 29, 2009 05:05:34 GMT

Lucy Hale, the actress who portrays Rose Baker in 'Privileged', confessed that she is interested to play Jane in 'New Moon', and actually has auditioned for the role.

While Dakota Fanning has been offered to play Jane in "New Moon", television star Lucy Hale revealed that she too has done some reading for the part. The "Privileged" actress broke out the news to Twist Magazine in a phone interview, saying "Well, I did read [for the role of Jane]."

"We had some talks about it," the 19-year-old explained, hinting further that she doesn't mind if Dakota Fanning ends up with the role. "But I think they just offered it to Dakota Fanning, the role I was interested in. Which is great - I'm a huge fan of her! So, I think she'll probably take that. And I mean, as of right now, I'm not sure if it's going to work out. But I'm definitely still going to see it!"

Asked about other part she may consider starring as, the Effie Kaligaris of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" spilled, "Leah Clearwater, but I think there's already talks with somebody else. I think they've already offered it to someone. I mean, we'll see. If not, it's all good." When the publication pointed out that Vanessa Hudgens is the one linked to the role, she responded, "Right, Right, right! Yeah, I wasn't sure if that was true or not, but she'd be great for it!"

Meanwhile on the rumor that Dakota Fanning has been offered the Jane part, the 14-year-old child star has confirmed that she is indeed in talks to play the member of the deadly Volturi vampire clan. "I really hope it works out," Fanning told E! Online while promoting "Push" on January 24. "It would be so much fun. I think that the actors are amazing. It would be really cool to be a part of that. I'm a big fan."

"New Moon" is an adaptation to Stephenie Meyer's second novel of her "Twilight" series. While "Twilight" screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is set to pen the script, Chris Weitz has been tapped to direct this "Twilight" sequel. The Summit Entertainment movie is reported to start production in Vancouver in mid-March for November 20, 2009 release with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner among several original cast members set to reprise their roles.

New Moon: The Movie

***January 7, 2009***

Good news about New Moon from director Chris Weitz:

I'm very happy to announce that Taylor Lautner will be playing Jacob Black in New Moon and that he's doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit Entertainment, the producers, and Stephenie Meyer.

The characters in Stephenie's books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series. But it was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part. I think that fans of Twilight the book and the movie will be surprised by the Jacob Black that Taylor will bring to the screen in New Moon; and I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the cast in realizing the film.

very best

Chris Weitz

I'd just like to add that I was very much a part of this decision. My first priority was always what was best for New Moon—what was going to give us the best possible movie. I'm truly thrilled that Taylor was the one who proved to the director, to Summit, and to me that he is the best possible Jacob we could have. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he's going to bring to Jacob's character this year.

- Steph

***December 13, 2008***

Hey guys,

There's been a lot of worry and speculation on the boards lately, and I want to let you know what's going on.

First of all, like you, I'm sad that Catherine is not continuing on with us for New Moon. I'm going to miss her, not just as a brilliant director, but also as a friend. She has such a distinct, authentic voice that did amazing things for Twilight. I'm looking forward to every movie she does in the future.

And she didn't leave us empty handed. We still get the benefits of her amazing casting and the beautiful visual world she created. This foundation puts us in a good place for New Moon.

Summit Films is moving forward with a new director for New Moon. They've asked Chris Weitz, director of American Pie, About a Boy, and The Golden Compass, to join us, and I am very pleased to announce that he's agreed to be a part of our Twilight world. I've had the chance to talk to Chris, and I can tell you that he is excited by the story and eager to keep the movie as close to the book as possible. He is also very aware of you, the fans, and wants to keep you all extremely happy. (Torches and pitchforks are not going to be necessary.)

I'm excited to work with Chris and I think he brings a lot to the table, not the least of which for me is that he wrote the screenplay for and directed one of my favorite movies of all time, About a Boy. I'm really looking forward to seeing his vision for New Moon.

Below is a letter from Chris to you. I think you'll get a glimpse in this note of how cool it's going to be having Chris as part of our community.
Letter from Chris Weitz

One more thing, unrelated but fun: I finally got around to posting a few pictures from the premiere on the Twilight movie page.

--Stephenie

***December 7, 2008***

Since we always try to keep everybody informed about everything going on in movie news, here is another press release 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."

***November 22, 2008***

In case you haven't read about it on fansites or movie blogs, here is the news that we have all been waiting for [source: Summit Entertainment @ summit-ent.com]

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES TWILIGHT SEQUEL - NEW MOON

Los Angeles, CA November 22, 2008 — Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON, the second installment of its filmed franchise TWILIGHT, the action-packed, modern day vampire love story. The movie will be based on the second novel in author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series titled, New Moon. The first movie in the TWILIGHT franchise, the self-titled TWILIGHT, arrived in theaters this weekend to sold-out showings.

Stephenie Meyer stated, "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment. I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on NEW MOON."

Starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, TWILIGHT tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together...even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward's nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella.