Catherine Hardwicke Will Not Be Directing New Moon

59 Responses

1. Wow. I really liked her. Oh well. Hopefully the new director will be good too. 🙁

2. I’m pretty happy about this. 🙂 I think Catharine was great… but something new would be nice.

3. I loved twilight and I’m expecting New Moon to be even better….I just don’t know if they can do that with the time frame they have in mind. I made allowances for twilight because it was the first movie in the series and they did the best job they could with the resources they had (which was a great job). I think the fans are going to be much more critical of the sequels than they are of the first. Right now, i feel like we’re just happy to have Twilight at all. I think that they need to put MORE time, MORE effort, MORE money, and MORE love into New Moon or else it’s not going to be very impressive.

   I’m also worried that they will ruin it like they ruined Harry Potter by straying from the essence of the story and character development of the books. Catherine seemed really committed to portraying as much of those aspects on screen as was allowable. It wasn’t perfect, but like i said I am willing to overlook that. But New Moon needs to be BETTER, and I think that Catherine felt the same. Of course, i could just be making assumptions, but that is the sense that I got from her whenever she talked about making twilight and new moon.

   If the new director can live up to that kind of commitment, passion, and loyalty to the story, I’ll be okay. I’d like the writing to be better though…

4. I am upset about this. I was hoping Hardwick’s birllint mind would be behind New Moon. She is a fan of the books and would stay true to the essence of the book to movie.
   I hope the new director will be a fan of the saga and wants to maintain the book in tact. I hope no one else leaves the great Twilight Movie team.

5. At first I was a little angry because of this, but I guess I’m really not quite sure. I loved Catherine because I felt like she really understood the concept of Twilight and did well with the movie. But if they get someone else they could be great too. You cant really know. But if they choose someone who isn’t as committed, they will have a bombardment of Twilighters, and we have all learned not to underestimate Twilighters. I think that either way New Moon SHOULD be better because it should have a higher budget (hopefully).

6. gosh, i am so sad that catherine wont be directing new moon..i mean she was REALLY great in doing twilight, but i also agree with amy because something new would be nice too!!
   and i wish all the best for catherine!
   :]

7. It´s all right. A new director will definitely add a new and fresh perspective. I hope they choose someone really talented.
   Here are my suggestions for possible directors :

   1. Guillermo del Toro (Pan´s Laberynth)
   2. Chris Colombus (Harry Potter)
   3. Alfonso Cuarón (Great Expectations)
   4. Peter Jackson (TLOTR)
   5. Joe Wright (Atonement)

   All of them have worked with stories that are from books.

   They will make the right choice, you´ll see! =D

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9. Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this.

   On one hand, I am sad for she did amazing with Twilight….but on the other hand, I am excited for that may mean that New Moon will be even more amazing.

   But at the same time I am nervous for Catherine really seemed to know what we Twilighters wanted….and a new director might not really care (which would piss all of us Twilighters off…and we aren’t that nice when we get angry so New Moon BETTER be amazing!!)…so…I have mixed feelings.

10. Guillermo del Toro can make any film awesome, js 😀

11. Hate to say it – but I’m glad. I did love Twilight, but it wasn’t all it could have been. I think a new director (assuming they pick a good one) could make New Moon so much better than Twilight.

12. What does this mean?

    I mean they aren’t going to take in a whole new direction or thing like that. I mean we will still have the same people, playing the roles. I mean Rob will be Edward and Kristen will be Bella.

    I can’t get accustomed to new actors. I like the ones that they have now (well not Laurent) I mean I am still trying to get used to him. Not what I had in mind or pictured for that character.

    I mean these are my only worries. That like Catherine, they won’t be able to do because of bad timing.

13. …my reading of this news is that Catherine doesn’t think a year is enough time to make a good version of “New Moon” so she doesn’t want to attach her name to something that she doesn’t think will be good. She’s jumping ship, which I don’t blame her for, but it doesn’t bode well for the sequel. I think Catherine did a great job with the first movie; my main complaints were due to the obvious lack of funds to do some really spectacular special effects (which wasn’t Catherine’s fault). But maybe “New Moon” will be good. I’ll reserve judgment for now–at least until they, I don’t know, pick the new director–but Catherine will be missed! I wish her good luck on her other projects.

14. i was extremely angry when i found out the news…the anger has abated somewhat now, but i still think summit made a mistake. the reasons in the press release are complete bs considering catherine said in an interview that it would be easy to make the movie in that time frame. it would be interesting to know the real reasons, but i don’t suppose we’ll ever find them out.

    although i love both guillermo del toro and peter jackson, (1) i doubt summit could get someone that high profile for this movie, (2) i don’t think this story fits either of their styles, and (3) they are both quite thoroughly busy working on THE HOBBIT (which i cannot wait for).

    i love atonement, but again, i’m not sure they will be able to get someone that big to work on new moon. i guess we’ll see. i’m very, very, very nervous for this movie, far more nervous than i was when catherine was at the helm of it.

15. i heard she was fired, not quitting. then again, rumors, so who knows? i’m excited about this. new eyes are always good, no? and hopefully ms. meyer will still be super involved so nothing will go horribly, horribly awry.

    love from nyc,
    katie

16. I was sort of sad when I first read this, but it’s understandable. I really like Guillermo del Toro’s style, the very dark and intense, and I think it would fit best in New Moon to bring out the intensity of Bella’s depression. However, I think it is unlikely for him to agree to film New Moon, he does more fantastical films with several different creatures, like Pan’s labyrinth, but with him I think the werewolves would look crazy amazing. All I want for New Moon is for us to see the intensity of Bella and Edward’s relationship better. In the Twilight film it seemed that it was a first crush kind of love, but I want to see that inseparable, obsessive kind of love, to let the audience see that they cannot exist without the other. That is alot to ask for, I know, since Bella and Edward are only together in the first few chapters and then at the very end, but maybe they can pull it off. *crosses fingers*

17. Reading through the comments, I’m in agreement whtn “Monica” in that I believe Catherine is taking a step back because the time frame isn’t enough for her to acomplish all she wants to with this film, and possibly she doesn’t believe the outcome would live up to hers- or the audience she’s grown to know quite well’s – expectations.
    You can incease a budget, but if you don’t have the time to put that extra money into good use than it’s all a waste.
    My imagination is going wild now, thinking about what might have come up that would ahve made Catheirn balk- maybe Summit’s thinking about ways to get around filming in Italy, or cheaping out on the special effects, and therefore making crappy werewolves.

18. i agree w/ young momma. i had to watch the movie twice to conclude if i liked the movie or not. don’t get me wrong… the movie stayed true to the books but i felt like the direction of the scenes and cameras could have been better. i really do hope that the new director will make new moon much better then twilight. all in all… i’m glad she isn’t directing the sequel.

19. i just new moon to be good THAT ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME !

20. I”m grateful to Catherine, but don’t consider her vital to the franchise. What bother’s me most is that Catherine made it clear that her major issue with Summit was about budget.And Summit has said they don’t see why they have to increase the budget for New Moon when Twilight did so well. Not understanding that we have been very forgiving of Twilights faults and have sunk money into this movie so New Moon could be done right. I have a horrible sinking feeling we’re about to get a cheesy sequel with a butchered plot so they can add unnecessary Edward scenes and AGAIN screw up the special affects. (the only affect I liked was the sparkle affect.)

    I do NOT want Alphonso C. directing New Moon. He ruined Prisoner of Azkaban for me. I still can’t watch and its the only Harry Potter film I haven’t bought. His cheesy editing choices and extra nonsense killed it for me. I’d hate to see what he’d do to New Moon.

    I really think that Summit is biting the hands that have fed it so well up to now.

21. I am quite upset about this bogus press release. Twilight became #1 in America and grossed over who knows how much money. I don’t see why they wouldn’t recognize her for her accomplishment and keep her to continue the sequels. It doesn’t make sense to me..all because they want to get the next movie out ASAP so they can make tons of more money off it. I mean c’mon I’m 100% sure that Twilight fans will run to see the movie regardless of when it comes out, I mean its an obsession across the U.S. so I think this is all stupid. She is a big fan of the series herself and made sure to stay true to the books themselves and fans love that. She should be rewarded for her excellence on this film and be allowed to continue for the rest of the saga. I think this is a bull deal both ways. Poop!

22. This will probably sound mean, but I never really liked her for Twilight. I’m sure she’s good, but I love the idea of a new director.

    Maybe next movie won’t have that “indie-feel” to it.

23. I have that same horrible, sinking feeling. . .and while I’m not entirely sure that I’ll see the movie right now, if Alfonso Cuaron was directing it, I’d know that instant that I could cross it off my 2009 to-do list.

24. I’m just going to wait and see.

25. There are no words to describe how absolutely relieved I am that Hardwicke is not directing New Moon. In my opinion, any success related to the release of the movie can be solely placed on the fact that Stephenie Meyer’s novels and characters are nothing short of amazing, enjoyable and easily related to. I believe that the movie would have been a box office hit no matter who directed it but the fact of the matter is that Twilight was a disappointing film. The acting was lacklustre, the storyline seemed emphasized in the wrong areas and I’m sure a lot of people will agree when I say that Bella was portrayed extremely poorly.
    My sincere hope is that a new director will see these flaws and proceed to correct them and redeem the franchise’s film presence.

26. I agree with Catherine in that I don’t think they could do as well as a job on New Moon without a longer time frame….this worries me. Honestly, Summit seems to be kind of money hungry, and they just want to bring another movie to the screen. But New Moon is going to be MUCH more involved to include scenes from Volterra, and the Volturi, and phasing werewolves……I’m getting excited just thinking about it. =D. But seriously, they need to make this one really good…. I think many people made allowances for Twilight because we all knew that they had a limited budget. But New Moon is a different story.

27. ALFONSO CUARON for the win!!!!!!

28. Catherine worked really hard to make Twilight a good movie with what she had. I hope that the new director, whoever it is, does not change the story too much, and is as committed and enthusiastic about it as Catherine.

29. Obviously you have not seen Harry Potter 3, K.J.

30. I am so upset by this. Catherine was so passionate about the movie and the story and was determined to make it for the fans. I’m afraid all the little details she put in (i.e.: Edward smiling at Jessica’s comment in the first cafeteria scene) will be lost with another director. I don’t know if it will be a huge train wreck (such as HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban under Alfonso Cuaron, that was a disgrace to HP), but I don’t think it will be half as good. And I don’t like Summit’s plan for the sequels, rushing to get them out. I’d rather wait for NM and have it be amazing rather than have it out sooner and be awful. Plus I have a good feeling Summit and Catherine disagreed over the budget, I’m sure Summit wanted to keep the same budget as Twilight, which is impossible, and very greedy seeing as Twilight made a huge profit.

    What are your thoughts Kaleb?

31. It’s sad that Catherine isn’t going to be directing New Moon. I felt that she really understood the book, and did a good job of capturing it on film. Although, it will be nice to see how another director interprets it. I just hope that the movie goes right along with the book, like Twilight.

32. For me, this is sad news and i am INCREDIBLY UPSET. 🙁

    I liked Catherine and now I have to anxiously wait to hear who will be the new director.

    and THEN i have to anxiously wait for new moon hoping that the new director wont completely destroy the awesomeness that Catherine built for the Twilight movie.

    and when i read her interview and read that the interviewer thought she was close to tears I CRIED.

    the name of the director of the third harry potter movie is being thrown around among twilighters but i think that is a bad idea. no offense HP3 lovers but the third one was even worse than the fifth one and THAT’S saying something. (the rest were awesome and the sixth looks promising)

33. I adored Catherine. I really thought she was passionate about the books and committed to bringing them to life on film, which I think she did.

    I’m not sure what this means for the future of the franchise. On the one hand, it could be good. The new director could be just as committed to the source material and could continue to make brilliant movies. Or… not.

    And that’s what worries me. Is Summit really so set on getting the movies out as fast as possible that they aren’t willing to give a director a little more prep time? I’ve also heard that they don’t want to increase the budget, which I think could be a huge mistake for the upcoming movies. I don’t know. There are so many things that could go wrong.

    I was very pleased with the result of Twilight, and I don’t like the fact that they’re messing with the formula barely two weeks after its release. It makes me reallllly nervous.

34. I am HIGHLY disappointed. I was so impressed by Catherine’s work, and I was really looking foward to the rest of the movies. Since Summit doesn’t seem to care much about the plot *cough* original Twilight script *cough*, if the new director isn’t as concerned with sticking to the books, New Moon and any subsequent movies will be big disappointments.

    Look at Harry Potter. 1 and 2 had the same director, and followed the books quite well. The third, by some other director, was butchered so horribly that I can’t manage watching it. The later ones, by completely different directors, weren’t as good as the first two, but I can still get through them with the occasional dark mutter under my breath. But all of the director changes have left the movies feel very separate from each other, with the exception of 1 and 2. Generally, DIRECTOR CHANGES IN THE MIDDLE OF MOVIE SERIES = VERY VERY BAD

    Sarah, I agree with you for the most part. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw Hermione wandering the halls of Hogwarts wearing a rainbow belt and jeans. This director doesn’t seem to care about staying true to characters or to the books, or including any information that would better explain the plot. 6 looks better than I expected, as I had thought they would only focus on drama and shift away from the Voldy plot. But I AM concerned about the scenes they are adding, like the Burrow being under attack by Death Eaters.

35. I agree with #21,
    I’d rather wait longer for a GREAT New Moon then get a highly disappointing one quickly.
    And, even though there were lots of parts cut out, the main plot was there and undeterred.
    Also, is it true that Summit’s not raising the budget? If it is, then they sure are asking for it. >.>

    Werewolves cost money!

36. hmmmm…. I really loved the way Catherine directed the movie. She did an amazing job! They need to pick someone who is already a twilight fan for the next one, because anybody else wouldn’t quite qet the importance of staying true to the book. It could work out well, but I’m verrrrrry worried :/
    I do understand the problem about the time, though for a different reason. Think about it: they are going to have to make these movies very quickly, because of how many characters aren’t supposed to change at all. Because there is really only so much that they can do with makeup….

37. I’m not going to worry about this. I like Catherine, but maybe a new director would be a good thing. She was talking about giving the Volturi a makeover and that didn’t sit well w/ me. The Volturi are awesome the way they’re described in the book. Nothing about them should be changed. Plus, “New Moon” is very different from “Twilight”. Maybe it requires a new look & feel and the special effects need to be fantastic. I just hope that the new director is equally passionate about the books and will give the fans the kind of movie we’re looking forward to.

38. Hopefully a new director’s aptitude for editing will make up for lack of a previous passion for the books. And a different Rosalie.
    Like I said, I think the first movie was so stylized that transitioning into a sequel would be difficult anyway. I hope a new director works out, but I’m prepared for anything.

39. I agree with #3 (Yoko) & #21 (Karp). Catherine was passionate & enthusiastic about the making of the movie and she did bring the essence of the book to life. With a 37K budget and such short time to write & film Twilight, she still did an amazing job. RED FLAG for me is that Summit wants to release New Moon so fast and that is a mistake because New Moon is a deeper story and all the emotion HAS TO BE PORTRAYED (that includes Bella IN coming to Edward’s rescue – Summit don’t be be stingy with budget money Quick note: I hope that the Atonement director IS NOT picked because he destroyed PRIDE & PREJUDICE!!! Jane Austen fans, check out the 1995 mini series with Colin Firth – best Mr. Darcy!!

40. It would be SO amazing if Peter Jackson directed it.

41. To be honest, I’m not all that heartbroken. Yes, Catharine did a wonderful job, but I know there was much more potential for the movie than what we saw. I am anxious to see another director’s vision for the film. New Moon is my favorite, after all.

42. *Catherine

43. Oh, and 37 (Carrie) has a good view on the matter.

44. If I could, I would. I absolutely love the series, but I don’t have the experience nor the credentials. 😛

45. Why not let Stephenie Meyer direct it? I mean, its her vision.. have her as an executive producer or something, bring on a director who has experience in bringing novels to life, with experience with the young adult fanbase, then let him work with Meyer, let the woman stay true to her vision!

46. I think that Catherine did an okay job but it could have been so much better and if all the available directors are up for a challenge then they might just try do New Moon since it would mean major popularity for them, so there is a good chance that we might get a really good director.
    Even if the director sucks I’m pretty sure that at least the speacial effects will be good since they have plenty of money now to make New Moon awesome. =D

47. By the way Chantel, Stephenie is not a director, she’s a writer. Even if she did she wouldn’t have the expertise. F.Y.I

48. Oh whooaa is we! Catherine gave Twilight the movie a life of its own that no other can recreate easily, i worry about what will happen from here….and wish luck to the new director.

49. im just worried the new director would try to change the strory… the twilight movie was not perfect but it was so true to the book that it was awsome

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