These people are out of their minds

[cleolinda]

So, an update on the Catherine Hardwicke/Twilight firing:

Official Summit Statement Regarding ‘New Moon’ and Catherine Hardwicke, including Hardwicke's own statement: "I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon. 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." Nikki Finke, on the other hand, claims that insiders told her Hardwicke was "was 'difficult' and 'irrational,'" though adding in an update,

Summit Entertainment Co-Chairman/CEO Rob Friedman just phoned me to add: "Catherine and Summit have agreed to part ways on the sequel because our visions are different." The start-up studio's hastily prepared statement (below) notes: "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."

I do wonder to what extent sexism is involved. One of the words I heard thrown around was "hysterical"--although in reference to Hardwicke's agent, I think--and "hysteria" has a particularly feminine subtext, if you know the origin of the word. The more I hear about it, though, I'm really starting to think it's about Catherine Hardwicke wanting a reasonable amount of money and time to put out an effects-heavier sequel, and Summit having no clue wanting to hit this iron while it's hot.

snowwhite2421 also points out that Hardwicke's inexperience with effects--which she mentioned publicly--may be what got her fired: "From a financial angle, that would have been a nightmare. Directors come in asking for something totally unrealistic and stupid because they have no idea what they are talking about, and the amount of time it usually takes to explain to them what IS possible, go back and forth on boards/concepts, finally come to a decision, create the product, find out you have to redo it, redo it, find out they hate that too, etc etc etc... that's just a spiraling money drain."

Here's the thing, though, Twilight fans: I know you're getting all starry-eyed about the possibilities, but Summit's not going to get a big-name director. They're not. You know why? Because one of the issues, as mentioned above, is the budget--they want to keep it down, and Hardwicke wanted more money for effects. They're not going to be able to get a bigger director than Hardwicke for less money.

Here's another reason: the movie starts filming in four months. That means that every day they dick around looking for a director is another day that director doesn't get to prepare. What director is going to have an open schedule right now? And I mean RIGHT NOW. To sign on the dotted line TODAY and start prep immediately? To sign onto a new, unfamiliar project where they only get four months' prep? It's not going to be a big-name director. It's going to be someone who needs the Twilight exposure more than Twilight needs him/her and is willing to do it on the cheap. I'm sorry, kids, but you're not getting Sofia Coppola or Joe Wright--two wish-list names I've seen fans throwing around--and you're sure as hell not getting Peter Jackson, because of all the things he can do, working cheap is not one of them. And I'm not even touching the issue of whether any of these people would want to be associated with Twilight.

Here's a thought, though: Katja von Garnier. Female, so Summit won't get its ass kicked in the media for dumping Hardwicke for a man; did Blood and Chocolate (IMDB user comment: "Mediocrity at its finest"), so has experience with terrible werewolf effects; no American name recognition, so would probably come cheap; doesn't seem to have anything in the pipeline, or at least that IMDB knows about.

Or, as lesbiassparrow suggested, since the cinematographer (and the editor) are said to have "saved" the first movie, that might be an option: "Cheap, easily controlled, and probably more available." That would be Elliot Davis, and while he seems to be Hardwicke's longtime collaborator (as in, he might feel loyal to her and not want to take the job she was fired from), he would at least be familiar with the production of the first movie. And the editor was Nancy Richardson--another Hardwicke collaborator (again: possible loyalty), although also female, which would be a PR bonus for Summit. And both Davis and Richardson were around for the first production and would be aware of the psychological nuance Hardwicke was trying to bring to the "normal people" scenes, as well as the direction Stewart and Pattinson wanted to take their characters.

Again, I'm not talking in terms of who they should get, or whether sexism, reverse or otherwise, should come into play here; I'm talking about the kind of business logic that might go into this decision.

BREAKING NEWS: THEY'RE GOING TO FILM THE TWO SEQUELS BACK TO BACK? STARTING IN MARCH? And they have NO DIRECTOR, ONE draft of New Moon, and NO Eclipse script? Jesus Holy Christ. I can't even--I can't even imagine this. We will be telling our grandchildren about a trainwreck of this magnitude.

Comments

[door.livejournal.com]

[allthelivesofme.livejournal.com]

This should be interesting. And by 'interesting' I mean I will watch the crazy from a distance, because I am soooooo not going to get within 500 feet of a theater when any of these are out.

[dreamingreader.livejournal.com]

Oh Lordy, Twilight is the drama that keeps on giving. I think I love it.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

This franchise is doing a giant slo-mo fall on its face.

[tinylegacies.livejournal.com]

There is not enough facepalm in the world.

Hardwicke made Twilight an enjoyable film. I fear that New Moon and Eclipse are going to be GINORMOUS trainwrecks.

[kittenscurious.livejournal.com]

It's amazing. I was really bummed after the Potterdammerung (sp?) because I enjoy watching the wank, and I just didn't think anything would bring the crazy like Harry Potter.

I'm glad to know I was wrong.

[la-petite-singe.livejournal.com]

because our visions are different.

Oh, dude, that TOTES confirms my theory. Her vision is non-fail. Their vision is fail. End of story. (...Although the effects did look kinda craptacular. Every time they went leaping around, there were those weird acid-trails in the air behind them. But maybe it's just all the fresh mountain air in stupid Forks.)

Poor Rob. He was hoping to hibernate in London for a while--no such luck, bb. Break out the hooch and the hairspray; it's not ending aaaanytime soon.

[mollywobbles867.livejournal.com]

I lol'd.

[bgmaster.livejournal.com]

As a devoted watcher of all things Sparklewank, my reaction to this can be summed up in a single word: Fantastic.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

That's just silliness...or maybe not. My first thought is that Summit is being ridiculous for not giving the sequels a bit more money for effects - X2 more than made its money back with an increased budget over the dinkier X1. But then again, X-Men can't be mistaken for a flash in the pan, so who knows. I guess Summit isn't a big believer in the lasting power of this franchise.

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

I LOLed.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the "hysterical" thing. That's classic. A man who asserts himself is being a leader and a boss and, well, a man. A woman who asserts herself is a bitch or is being unreasonable and irrational.

Oh well, I wasn't there, so I don't know what Hardwick was like, but it does seem like there are plenty of difficult male directors and actors but if they bring in the bucks, everyone puts up with them. Twilight made money, so why punish her?

Well, good luck with the 2nd two movies which start in 4 months with no director. The lulz should be good at least.

[sexonastick.livejournal.com]

Didn't see Blood and Chocolate (because it looked utterly like crap) but I liked Katja von Garnier's three other films that I did see. She's fairly big on the grrrl power stuff -- Iron-Jawed Angels and Bandits, about a girl rock band that breaks out of prison -- though so that would be an interesting juxtaposition with New Moon.

At the end of the day, they'll probably try to keep the DP and editor to keep as much of the look of the original as they can (and also to avoid spending time and money on coming up with a new style) but from the studio's point of view, the editor doesn't matter much because I doubt anyone but the producer has final cut on this. I assume someone at Summit (correctly) thinks that the teenage girls are showing up anyway, so let's put the added emphasis on the (terrible) action sequences and special effects, because that's totally what draws in male viewers.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Membership in the DGA (Director's Guild) is something like 97% male. Female director directs smash hit film, then leaves under mysterious circumstances in which she's insulted for being overly emotional? It doesn't take a brain surgeon to suspect sexism is involved.

[numb3r-5ev3n.livejournal.com]

They should just adlib the entire Eclipse film, like Prêt-à-Porter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110907/) Hell, they should get Altman to direct.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Here's a thought, though: Katja von Garnier. Female, so Summit won't get its ass kicked in the media for dumping Hardwicke for a man; did Blood and Chocolate (IMDB user comment: "Mediocrity at its finest"), so has experience with terrible werewolf effects; no American name recognition, so would probably come cheap; doesn't seem to have anything in the pipeline, or at least that IMDB knows about.


In terms of a 'fluffy' movie, or a movie simply to watch for the hel of it, maybe enjoy... I rather enjoyed Blood and Chocolate.

When it first hit the theaters, I wasn't interested in it enough to go waste money on it. Last weekend, there wasn't anything else worth wasting time on, so I watched it on Showtime.

Yes, it was draggy at parts, but for a low budget film, the special effects weren't that bad.

I've definately seen worse.

[mercat.livejournal.com]

For some reason the word "facepalm" got processed as "some sort of internet napalm".


...Yeah.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Me neither.

[sexion8.livejournal.com]

The new director is going to put nipples on Edward's bat suit, I know it.

[kittenscurious.livejournal.com]

It was actually in theaters? I was really excited for it because I love the book, but I totally thought it went straight to DVD. And I really enjoyed it a lot, though the werewolf change sequences were LAMESAUCE.

[sexonastick.livejournal.com]

And I can't even process all this "we r gonna b the next lawd of the rings lolz" bullshit from Summit, so no comment other than AHAHAHAHAHAH.

[coneycat.livejournal.com]

It's really like finding out there is a Santa Claus after all, isn't it?

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Oh, God. They are going to crank these movies out faster than Duggar babies, and I can only imagine the result.

*is frightened*

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

BandC wasn't really that bad, definately not 'waste money to see in the theater' worthy, but as a time waster? Not bad.

Iron Jawed Angels is awesome. Bandits I didn't care for.}:/

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for all of a week, if I remember correctly.

I kind of raised an eyebrow at the werewolf changing, but shrugged it off as better than some, heh.