From Hollywood Crush:
The directors who have been brought in for the first three "Twilight Saga" films have had a variety of range. Catherine Hardwicke was best known for her hard-hitting "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown," while Chris Weitz had "About A Boy" and "The Golden Compass" and David Slade had "Hard Candy" and "30 Days of Night." Each director had some sort of unique style that made him or her worth following, but also had a similar trend of high school or fantasy themes that made them fitting for the "Twilight" series.
The question of who will direct "Breaking Dawn" (the final one or two installments in the film series) has been hotly debated. Fans seemed to want Chris to return to the helm after the success of "New Moon," but it seemed a bit obvious that Summit would want to bring someone new in for the final installment(s). According to a special report from EW today, three new directors have been approached to helm the film: Gus Van Sant, Sophia Coppola and Bill Condon.
Robert Pattinson and Peter Facinelli have both told MTV News previously that Gus would be their top choice to direct "Breaking Dawn." "He shoots everything in Portland. He's good at making it look beautiful," Rob said, adding of "BD," "It's all about teenage love and obsessions. I think Gus would be great."
The teenage love and obsessions line is of course a shout to Gus' much celebrated film about high school life in the light of Columbine, "Elephant." However, the too-serious tone Catherine Hardwicke took for "Twilight" — which seems along the lines of what Gus would take with "Breaking Dawn" — didn't suit the film very well. "New Moon" felt like it fit a bit more, with Chris taking the novel for what it was and representing that fairly faithfully on screen.
There is no doubt that Gus, Sophia ("Lost in Translation") and Bill ("Kinsey," "Dreamgirls") are some of the most widely respected directors in Hollywood. But "Breaking Dawn" is not anywhere near one of the most widely respected works of fiction in recent history. In fact, reviews from both fans and critics were fairly split, and it's hard to say whether it's one of the high or low points of the series. It certainly had many elements like a vampire c-section and an anti-climactic finale that make it seem not as suited to the screen as its previous installments.
But the choice for one of these esteemed and serious directors who make hard-hitting and important films seems out of sync with what "Twilight" is all about. Fans want to see Edward and Bella getting married and having a baby on the big screen, not a metaphorical look at teenage life (if there is any of that even left in "Breaking Dawn").
What do you think of these possible directors?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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