Jack Morrissey, Bill Condon’s partner, just tweeted the photo of the Breaking Dawn script. Follow Jack Morrissey on Twitter for more goodies related to Breaking Dawn.
Archives for 2011
Jennifer Coolidge Tweets About Her Austenland Experience So Far
July 15, 2011
Jennifer Coolidge, who most people will probably best remember from her performances in Legally Blonde, American Pie, and Nip Tuck has Tweeted from the Austenland set. As we have been telling you, Austenland is from the novel of the same name by Shannon Hale, and is being produced by Stephenie Meyer’s brand new production company! Here’s what Jen had to say so far:
“Hi everybody! Early morning here in London…was very excited to meet Keri Russel yesterday….she’s gorgeous!
Shooting starts soon, sorry I haven’t been tweeting too much…
I’ll try and send some pictures of the gorgeous costumes I’ve been trying on for Austenland…but maybe I’ll just let you be surprised!
Early start today…hair tests, all the fun stuff that goes along with this…England is so beautiful!”
Jennifer plays Miss Charming, a character who, in the novel, is a long-time Austenland visitor with a wonderful, some times slightly bawdy, charm.
Follow Jennifer Coolidge on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/JENCOOLIDGE and on facebook
You can discuss Austenland on out forums in our newly created Austenland the movie section, or here on the blog
You can buy the book On Amazon, currently on sale for $7.98
Official Press Release For Austenland Issued
July 15, 2011
There isn’t much here that we didn’t already know, but Moxie pictures ( which is one of the groups producing the film ) issued the following press release:
“Seven weeks of principal photography recently commenced on location in the UK on romantic comedy “AUSTENLAND,” the big screen adaptation of award-winning author SHANNON HALE’s novel about Jane Austen-obsessed contemporary heroine, “Jane,” played by Golden Globe award-winner KERI RUSSELL (“Felicity”, “Mission Impossible II”,”Waitress”). JJ FEILD (“Captain America: The First Avenger) and BRET MCKENZIE (the Emmy award-winning “Flight of the Conchords”) join Russell in the directorial debut of JERUSHA HESS (“Napoleon Dynamite”), who adapted “AUSTENLAND” for the screen with Shannon Hale. LA-based UTA will handle international sales.
JERUSHA HESS previously co-scripted the indie hit and Sundance favourite “Napoleon Dynamite” with her husband and writing/producing partner, director JARED HESS. She also co-wrote “Nacho Libre” and “Gentleman Broncos” and is executive producer on Fox’s animated TV series “Napoleon Dynamite”.
The colourful international supporting cast on “AUSTENLAND” includes US actress and comedienne JENNIFER COOLIDGE (“American Pie”, “Legally Blonde”), JANE SEYMOUR (“Wedding Crashers”), RUPERT VANSITTART (“Braveheart”) and JAMES CALLIS (“Battlestar Gallactica”, “Bridget Jones’ Diary”).
“AUSTENLAND” is a romantic comedy about 30-something, single Jane Hayes, a seemingly normal young woman with a secret: her obsession with Mr. Darcy—as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice—is ruining her love life; no real man can compare. But when she decides to spend her life savings on a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined.
“AUSTENLAND” is produced by Stephenie Meyer (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,” “Breaking Dawn Part 2,” “The Host”) through Fickle Fish Films, the production company of Meyer and Meghan Hibbett, and Moxie Pictures‘ Gina Mingacci. Executive Producers are Robert Fernandez and Dan Levinson of Moxie Pictures and co-producer is Jane Hooks (“Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, “Bronson”). Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre,” “Gentleman Broncos”), Meghan Hibbett, and author Shannon Hale are associate producers.
Creative talent on board includes cinematographer Larry Smith, BSC (“Eyes Wide Shut”, “Bronson”) and Emmy award-winner and BAFTA-nominated production designer James Merifield (“Little Dorrit”,”Brighton Rock”).
The film is financed by Fickle Fish Films.”
You can find Moxie pictures on:
http://www.facebook.com/moxiepictures
http://twitter.com/#!/MoxiePictures
On Shannon Hale’s blog, she states which actors are playing which characters:
Jane – Keri Russell
Nobley – JJ Feild
Martin – Bret Mckenzie
Miss Charming – Jennifer Coolidge
Colonel Andrews – James Callis
Mrs. Wattlesbrook – Jane Seymour
Mr. Wattlesbrook – Rupert Vansittart
Georgia King – Lady Heartwright
Ricky Whittle – George East
Shannon Hale also made the following clarification on her blog:
“There is no Sir John and Aunt Saffronia, Mr & Mrs. Wattlesbrook merging those roles. It was the right choice for the adaptation to screen. Isn’t that a gorgeous cast? I’m so thrilled! If there is anyone you aren’t familiar with and you read my blog, then you shortly will be. I’ll devote a post to each of them over the next few weeks. The actors playing George East and Lady Heartwright (she got bumped up to “lady” in the screenplay) weren’t mentioned in the official announcement, so I’ll wait to drop their names.”
You can follow Shannon Hale on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/haleshannon
Court Appointed Trustee To Take Over View Point Inn
July 15, 2011
According to Oregon Live:
“A bankruptcy judge’s ruling Thursday means the fire-damaged View Point Inn and Restaurant in Corbett will likely be put up for sale, bringing new ownership to the historic site.
Judge Elizabeth L. Perris ruled Thursday that a bankruptcy court trustee would take over the inn. If the court official finds no way to come up with the money to pay co-owner Geoffrey Thompson’s creditors, the inn will be put up for sale in a foreclosure auction.
The Oregonian’s continuing coverage of a fire at the historic View Point Inn in Corbett.
After a fire Sunday took most of View Point’s roof, the inn is worth only $20,000 to $30,000, Thompson estimated at Thursday’s hearing. He has said the building was uninsured at the time of the fire.
Thompson did not appear in court, but testified over the phone. His debt totals at least $2.9 million, not counting nearly 200 creditors whose claims are listed as “unknown,” according to a motion filed this week.
Thompson asked for the case to be dismissed. The dismissal would have allowed him to continue as the inn’s owner and try to rebuild. Enough people and businesses had offered to help that he would be able to rebuild the inn and pay back his creditors, Thompson claimed at the hearing.
Judge Perris ruled instead to put the inn’s fate in a trustee’s hands.”
See more on Oregon Live
According to
UPDATE: Latest Records Indicate that Harry Potter Has Shattered the New Moon Record
July 14, 2011
What a difference a few hours makes! After reporting earlier that New Moon would hold onto it’s record of midnight release sales, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 roared in with a last minute surge! Fandango has just issued the following press release:
“Tonight’s the night, as millions of moviegoers will band together to bid a fond, final farewell to the beloved characters of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”
Fandango has sold more midnight and early morning show tickets for “Part 2″‘ than it has for the late night openings of any other movie (including “The Dark Knight” and “New Moon”).
More than 6,000 of tonight’s midnight shows are sold out in advance on Fandango, and theater owners are scrambling to post additional showtimes (many at 3:00 a.m.). “Part 2” currently represents 93% of today’s total ticket sales.
Fandango’s “Harry Potter” experts will be available in New York and Los Angeles for live commentary outside the theaters, where film fans are likely to dress up for the magical occasion. According to a Fandango survey of more than 1,000 moviegoers, more than 8% of midnight show ticket-buyers will arrive at the theater in special “Potter” regalia.
“‘Part 2”s midnight show ticket sales have been nothing short of extraordinary,” says Fandango Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Butler. “In the more than ten years that I’ve been with the company, I’ve never seen so many late night showtimes for a single movie sold out in advance. Thankfully, theater owners are adding new showtimes throughout the night to meet the fan demand.”
To everyone going to the midnight shows tonight enjoy! We’ll be there. Long live Remus Lupin, our first fandom book character crush!
Latest Totals: Harry Potter Will Not Overtake New Moon, Record Will Stand
July 14, 2011
According to Reuters:
“Though its box office haul will be truly magical, it is unlikely that the bespectacled boy wizard will beat the “Twilight” kids. Still, the final “Harry Potter” film is on track to be the No. 2 advance ticket seller of all time behind “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
“A senior IMAX executive told TheWrap that Potter pre-sales were “huge.” The theater company reports that all of their midnight screenings are sold out, with only a few seats still available for its 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. shows.
That said, it does not look like “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” will unseat “New Moon” as the biggest pre-seller. When the “Twilight” sequel opened in November 2009, it had the box office field more or less to itself, whereas “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” will have to compete with tentpole fare such as “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” to claim its crown.
The Harry Potter finale is performing better in its midnight and early screenings, but “New Moon” had stronger Saturday and Sunday pre-sales, according to Fandango.”
See more on Reuters
Keep in mind that these totals are only taking into account pre-sales, not people who will just walk up to the box office. No one will know for sure until Monday at around 4:00pm when the official tally comes out.
View Point Inn Facing Serious Allegations Regarding Back Wages
July 14, 2011
Additionally the Portland Business Journal reports that, “Geoff Thompson filed for bankruptcy in late June to prevent the inn from being sold in a foreclosure auction. An accidental fire on July 10 shuttered the inn and forced dozens of brides and grooms to seek alternate accommodations for their summer weddings.
Thompson filed under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows debtors to reorganize and continue to operate.
Thompson’s attorney, Ted Trautman, confirmed Wednesday that he will convert the case to Chapter 7, which means his assets will be liquidated and distributed among creditors.”
Summit Executives, Melissa Rosenberg, and Chris Weitz Give Credit To Harry Potter Films
July 14, 2011
Erik Feig(a Summit Executive), Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight Saga screenwriter) and Chris Weitz (the director of The Golden Compass, New Moon and A Better Life) have cited the Harry Potter films as industry inspirations and changers. In the above photo, taken at the A Better Life premiere, Erik Feig is standing to Chris Weitz’s immediate left:
Erik Feig:
‘”There was a sea change with Harry Potter,” says Erik Feig, president of worldwide production at Summit Entertainment, which has made the Twilight movies. “The story has a younger protagonist, but the book series and the movies are greatly enjoyed by older people, too. I devoured the first book and gave it to every grown-up I knew. We saw the same thing with Twilight. We did not ghetto-ize it as a young-adult movie. Nor did they with Harry Potter. They drew all audiences. It was an inspiration to us.”
Chris Weitz:
“The impact of the Potter series has been tremendous in that it has essentially become the idea of a modern franchise,” says director Chris Weitz (Twilight: New Moon; The Golden Compass). “They latched onto something that has its own sequels built in. Now everyone is looking for a literary property that extends enough for them to keep on building.
“It’s led to this speculative bubble in mystical young-adult fiction. Twilight found its own way to hit upon the hunger for the supernatural and a particular time of life. But if you look at the bookshelves now, half of what is coming out in (young-adult) fiction is about a werewolf or a vampire or angels or demons. The other half is about magic and wizardry.”
Melissa Rosenberg:
“The Harry Potter filmmakers and screenwriter Steve Kloves really respected the fans,” says Melissa Rosenberg, who has written the screenplay for each Twilight movie. “When you’re adapting a book series and you have that kind of fan base, you really have to deliver. You can’t just use the books as a jumping-off basis for another story. When I see a Harry Potter movie, I forget what is missing. Because Kloves is taking me and those kids on the same emotional journey as the book does.”
This is really a not to be missed article. Check it out on USA Today.
Another Volvo Marketing Pitch Coming This Fall
July 13, 2011
The Twilight Examiner unearthed this tidbit on A Direct Marketing News Item that announced Allyson Witherspoon as Volvo’s new global digital brand director.
“The automaker will launch a “global online event in November” for the release of Breaking Dawn, the fourth film in the Twilight series, said Brooks. He declined to provide more specific information about the initiative.
Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, said in January that the company would boost advertising spending this year and that it had planned to spend as much money in the first quarter alone as it spent in 2010.
Witherspoon said she has already held meetings with Volvo and “gone through” her vision for their work.
“Volvo has a rich history of innovation in the digital space,” she said, adding that she has also “reached out to all the [agency’s major] clients.”
Volvo obviously has a history with the franchise. The Examiner has a great rundown on the campaigns that Volvo has run before.
There is at least some good news, and that is that Silver, sports car-type, Volvos were spotted in the Vancouver area (by the TwiFans website see photo above) for filming back in the late spring. So at least they are coming way closer to getting the car in the film to match the car in the book.
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