Breaking Dawn Under Consideration For 3-D

According to Gossip Cop who spoke with a studio representative:

“UPDATE: 10:50 PM –

With news that Breaking Dawn is being adapted into two films also comes word that Summit is definitely considering doing the fourth and fifth pictures in 3-D.

Gossip Cop will update when we hear anything new.”

Now considering the option doesn’t mean that it’s a done deal. How do you feel about Breaking Dawn in 3-D? Take the poll and let us know why in the comments.


Breaking Dawn Confirmed to Be Two Movies

Summit LogoCall this Murphy’s Law. The press release on this came out while the entire admin team was on planes flying to the LA convention. Sorry for being the last to post.

Summit Entertainment confirmed today that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN will be released as two separate films with the first of the two slated to be released in theatres on November 18, 2011. Academy Award® winner Bill Condon will direct both films starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner along with Billy Burke as Charlie Swan as well as returning members of the Cullen Family including Peter Facinelli as Carlisle, Elizabeth Reaser as Esme, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper, Nikki Reed as Rosalie, Ashley Greene as Alice and Kellan Lutz as Emmett.

The project, based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, is currently being written by Melissa Rosenberg with Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt and Stephenie Meyer producing. The TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN will start production in the Fall.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

The third film in the franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is due in theaters on June 30, 2010.

Not mentioned in the press release was the release date for the second installment. Our bet (we have no inside info here this is sheer speculation) is that it will be released in June 2012 or November 2012. It will come down to how well Eclipse does as a summer release: does well then the 2nd installment should, doesn’t do well then make it November where things have.

Could Breaking Dawn Move to Louisiana?

breaking_dawncoverWe’re going to start this one by saying anything is possible. So here are the facts as we know them, and then we’ll give you our two cents.

A couple of weeks ago Movieset.com ran with a report of Breaking Dawn filming in Louisiana. There wasn’t any kind of back up to the story so we discounted it as just rumor. In fact Pel scoffed at it on Twitter. It didn’t seem to make sense to us for a number of reasons listed below:

1. Terrain- Louisiana and the Pacific Northwest aren’t exactly known for the same look. Finding a range of snow-capped mountains and meadows even in the dead of winter is going to be hard to come by in Louisiana.

2. Exteriors miles away-granted they can throw the modular units that comprise Bella’s house on a tractor trailer and ship them south, but Jacob’s house, the Cullen’s house, etc. are physically located in Vancouver.  Additionally the beaches of the Pacific Northwest look very different than the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

3. Slips ups-various actors: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Christian Serratos, Peter Facinelli have all alluded to filming in October/November in the Pacific Northwest

So for those reasons we didn’t think very much about it.  Today however comes a report from the NOLA online. One of their reporters tracked the story and this is what he found:

“The second, more telling, development comes in the form of incorporation papers filed last week with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office by an agent for Summit and establishing a new corporate entity called “TSBD LOUISIANA, L.L.C.” — which would seem to stand for “Twilight: Saga Breaking Dawn.”

Of course, filing incorporation papers is a long way from booking soundstages and crewing up — but as early signs go, it’s a good one that there might be truth to these rumors.”

So in light of this new info what’s our take?

1. Well, they would certainly need an Isle Esme location. There are resorts in the New Orleans that could fit the bill bungalows and all. Some of the bayou area would also do nicely for Alice and Jasper’s Amazon quest.

2. You can certainly get a sound stage anywhere, but it makes sense to get one where you save money. New Orleans and the state of Louisiana is certainly trying to attract business to the area.  In thinking about the novel Breaking Dawn, there are an awful lot of interior scenes, so sound stage work is key.

3. Paparazzi of Vancouver-It’s no secret that during the filming of Eclipse the paparazzi in Vancouver were at a whole new level of intrusiveness. Given that they had gotten down routine and locations from the New Moon shoot it certainly made hounding easier.  When the cast came back for three days of reshoots, one rented a helicopter and buzzed the set cause distraction and and possibly delay.  So moving locations to Louisiana would avoid the seasoned Vancouver paparazzi. There of course will be stringers from LA, but now there’s no local knowledge base to build on since all locations and routine would be fresh.

4. The Weather–at best the weather in the pacific Northwest is a challenge. every single actor and director with the franchise mentions it constantly. The cast kept getting sick in the damp and the cold. Louisiana certainly has better weather.

So in the end, we are thinking it certainly could be a location, but maybe not the only location. Fire away on speculation. At this point your guess is as good as ours. We wouldn’t expect Summit to confirm or deny location until after Eclipse ends its PR run with the release of the DVD, because they tend to focus media releases on one thing at a time, and right now a big splashy summer opening of Eclipse is certainly a priority.

Peter Facinelli Talks Breaking Dawn With Wife Jennie At His Side

Kellan and Ashley Still To Sign on the Dotted Line

kellashAccording to a report in the industry trade paper, The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene have not yet signed on for Breaking Dawn.  THR goes on to state that other actors with similar sized roles such as Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli have already signed on.

“The studio is close to finalizing agreements with leads Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, all of whom will get big raises to return for a fifth installment of the vampire romance saga…But Summit is having a harder time locking in some of the franchise’s secondary characters. Deals for Peter Facinelli (who plays Carlisle Cullen) and Billy Burke (Bella’s father, Charlie Swan) are done, but we’re told the actors who play the Cullen kids (especially Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene) are trying to sink their teeth into bigger paydays that, at least at this point, the studio behind the billion-dollar franchise is unwilling to provide. “We may have a situation where one of them is thrown out on the street to make a point,” says a source close to the dealmaking.”

The Hollywood Reporter is generally accepted as a credible industry source, second only to Variety. So this is interesting information to take in.  Check out the whole article, there’s a lot to absorb in there. What do you think?

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn To Release Nov. 18, 2011

breaking_dawncoverHit Fix got the scoop on this one being rehashed around the twitter universe and entertainment blogs.

A Summit Entertainment spokesperson has confirmed to HitFix that “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” will open nationwide on Nov. 18, 2011. It’s still officially unknown if “Dawn” will be broken up into one or, as rumored, two films.  Stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are all expected to return.”

Though media outlets that are less savvy than Hit Fix are talking about this being an odd delay, but in actuality it makes a lot of sense. Here’s why:

1.  Kristen Stewart, Christian Serratos, Robert Pattinson have all in various interviews alluded to the fact that they are free until late fall 2010. There’s some debate whether that means October or November 2010, but let’s just say later fall. Given how tightly New Moon and Eclipse were shot making it tougher for other projects, this longer hiatus gives stars of Twilight the opportunity to do other projects on TV and movies without a totally crazed schedule. Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, and Ashley Greene have booked two movies, Peter Facinelli has one plus Nurse Jackie and the list goes on!

2. Though it’s unclear yet if it will be one or two movies (we are betting two and we’ll explain why in a second) there’s no possible way for the movie(s) to come out any sooner than Thanksgiving 2011. The movies take slightly over three months to shoot. So if we are talking one movie, that would be November-February figuring in some holiday breaks and weather delays. Now you need time to edit, to do CGI, to get a soundtrack and score. No way for that to happen effectively in time for either Memorial Day or July 3 so the best opportunity is to big the big name product at Thanksgiving or Christmas and in this case it’s Thanksgiving.

3. Question: Given this timing what else is in play that we are going to miss this summer? Answer: Comic Con. It seems highly likely that with a November release that the Twilight Saga will be back at Comic Con in summer 2011.  It won’t be there this year because the movie will already have been out for three weeks. So look out Comic Con Twilighters are coming back in 2011!

4. Assuming we are talking two movies (and we are speculating here) the second one would likely be a July 4, 2012 release. Two movies shot back to back would make it a six-month shoot. So that would mean November – April 2011 shooting. It gives ample time still for editing on film one and then on film two.

5. Lastly, why do we think it will be two? A couple of reasons. One, both Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Rosenberg have said they think there is enough material. Two, at a certain level Hollywood is about money and from a studio angle what studio wouldn’t want another multimillion dollar, sure fire hit? Lastly, there’s expanded point of view possibilities. Book three in Breaking Dawn is packed with information and other characters. We are imagining sequences of seeing these vampire allies being recruited, training of the Cullen supporters, Aro summoning his forces and plotting, watching how Jacob spills the beans to Charlie.  So, and again this is conjecture on our part, we see movie one ending with the birth of Renesmee and then movie two picking up from there. Nikki Finke agrees too.

So, given the information, what do you all think?

Bill Condon: Highlights From A Diverse Career

Bill-CondonsoloSo now that Bill Condon has been announced as the director of Breaking Dawn, everyone wants to know just who is he? Given the previous three directors here’s where he stacks up just on statistics:

He’s the same age as Catherine Hardwicke, but has directed the same number of  films as Catherine, Chris Weitz, and David Slade combined.

Like Chris Weitz, he is both a writer and a director. Also like Chris, he was nominated for an Oscar based on his writing.  Bill was nominated an Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay for CHICAGO and he won the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay for GODS AND MONSTERS.

– Hollywood’s best and brightest (and also most difficult) have worked with Bill Condon such as Oscar nominees and winners: Ian McKellen, Liam Neeson, Brendon Fraser, Laura Linney, Tim Hutton, John Lithgow, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson.

– Like David Slade he’s done the horror thing by directing one of the Clive Barker Candyman series.

-Like Chris Weitz and Catherine Hardwicke, he respects adaptation from the originating source material, and doesn’t want to lose site of the popular work that everyone fell in love with. (See the interview with Charlie Rose below.)

-Like Catherine he thrives on character driven/relationships like Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters, and Kinsey (Check out Bill talking about Dreamgirls in the video below.)

Now here’s the next item which people should be asking: who do you think he’ll want to be in the Breaking Dawn Cast who he’s worked with before? Hollywood, aside from talent, is all about connections, reputation, and previous experience. There are a lot of new vampires in Breaking Dawn, and we fully expect a lot of them to be cut or combined like the way Anna Kendrick’s Jessica is a combination of the book’s Jessica and Lauren. On the other hand, some are uncuttable due to basic plot. What leaps to mind right away is the Denali Coven in particular Irina, because without Irina going to the Volturi there’s no back end of the story.

So…who appears to be  twenty-thirty something, is an UBER Twilight fan, fits the age range, and has worked with Bill Condon before. There’s one name that instantly jumps up. The first person to come up with the answer that we are thinking of in our comments gets the autographed photo of their choice from our collection.

Full Press Release: Stephenie Meyer Named as Producer

At this time we still don’t know if it will be one or two movies. The Lexicon staff is betting on two films, because we feel there is enough material as cited by Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Rosenberg.  Assuming it is two movies, and assuming they film from late October 2010 until mid spring 2012we are figuring on a Thanksgiving or Christmas 2011 release on the first and a July 2012 release on the second.  Please note these dates are conjecture on our part based on previous experience and not insider info.

The other EXCITING news is that Stephenie Meyer has been named as one of the films producers. This would indicate a greater level of creative control, which most fans (we believe) would say is a good thing. See the full press release below.

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Los Angeles, CA  April 28, 2010 – Summit Entertainment has confirmed that Academy Award® winner Bill Condon will direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, based on the fourth novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.  THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, is currently being written by Melissa Rosenberg, and will star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.   Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt, and Stephenie Meyer will produce the project.

“Bringing Stephenie Meyer’s BREAKING DAWN to the screen requires a graceful and intelligent hand and we believe Bill Condon is exactly the right steward, having shown equal and abundant talents of immense creativity and subtle sensitivity,” said Erik Feig, President of Production and Acquisitions, for Summit Entertainment.

Added author Stephenie Meyer, “I’m so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us. I think he’s going to be a great fit, and I’m excited to see what he does with the material.”

“I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book – and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience,” said Bill Condon.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

Condon is well known for writing and directing DREAMGIRLS, KINSEY, and GODS AND MONSTERS, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1999.  He was nominated for a second Oscar for his screenplay for the movie musical CHICAGO in 2003.  Most recently the multi-hyphenate directed the pilot episode for the Showtime series “The Big C” and produced the 81st Annual Academy Awards telecast, hosted by Hugh Jackman.

The third film in the franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is due in theaters on June 30, 2010.

Confirmed: Bill Condon to Direct Breaking Dawn

Bill-CondonsoloHit fix has part of the press release. We will run full copy as soon as we have it.

““I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book – and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience,” said Bill Condon.

The fourth book in Stephenie Meyer’s popular series chronicles Bella’s most advanced initiation into the vampire world to date, but is also seen by many as the most difficult to adapt of all the best-selling novels.   Melissa Rosenberg, who adapted the first two novels, would continue in that role for “Dawn.”  Stephenie Meyer has already met with Condon to discuss the project.  She noted in the release, “I’m so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us. I think he’s going to be a great fit, and I’m excited to see what he does with the material.”

See more on Hit Fix

Bill Condon: Front Runner to Direct Breaking Dawn?

Bill-CondonsoloAccording to Mike Flemming at Deadline Hollywood:

EXCLUSIVE: Bill Condon has emerged as the number one choice to direct the final two installments of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, I’m told. Summit Entertainment hasn’t signed him, but I’m told that after several strong meetings, they are negotiating. Condon was among a list of A-list directors approved by Summit and Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.”

Mike is a colleague of  Nikki Finke, who was the person who previously broke the story that Sofia Coppola and Gus Van Sant along with Condon were in the running. Nikki tends to get things right, but she isn’t fool proof. Notably she got the Eclipse director wrong initially stating that Juan Antonio Bayora would get the gig.

Read the whole account on Deadline Hollywood.