One of the by-products of the Internet age is that the creative teams on movies, particularly the big franchise ones, are encouraged to have an open, two-way relationship with the fans. Directors like Jon Favreau and Edgar Wright have pioneered this through MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, often offering casting information and first looks at their movies through the web.
David Slade, the director of “Twilight: Eclipse,” discovered the darker side of the closer relationship with fans; after he signed on to that film, an old tweet by the director was uncovered in which he’d written “Twilight drunk? No, not even drunk. twilight on acid? No, not even on acid? Twilight at gun point? Just shoot me.” Slade was forced to make an apology to the fans, but with rumors of a troubled production on “Twilight: Eclipse,” it’s clear that Summit aren’t going to repeat the mistake.
“Dreamgirls” helmer Bill Condon, who’s officially signed on to direct the fourth (and possibly fifth, if they decide to split the book in two) movie in the franchise, has written an open letter to fans on the official Facebook page for the series, following the lead of “New Moon” director Chris Weitz, who did something similar. He begins “Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland” (Team Switzerland?), before telling the fans how excited he is to be directing the film. Unsurprisingly.
Even if we loathed “Dreamgirls,” in many ways Condon’s the smartest pick for the franchise that the studio’s yet made; he’s a long-time horror fan, as proven by his best film, the James Whale biopic “Gods and Monsters,” while “Kinsey” showed an interest in freaky sexuality that can only be useful for “Breaking Dawn,” – the one where Bella and Edward finally go heels to Jesus. Having said that, water never rises above its source, and we’re pretty sure that if Stanley Kubrick had made a Twilight movie, it still would have been rubbish. At least there’s the hint of a tongue-in-cheek tone to Condon’s note. Read the full letter below. (via Deadline)
Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,
I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I’m stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you’ve probably heard, I’ve been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit – who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.
I’m pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I’ve read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine’s and Chris’s movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine’s notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz’s companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk – a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for “newborn” status in the universe you’ve been living inside for a few years now, but a guy’s gotta start somewhere.
Like many of you, I’ve always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn’t been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I’ve been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.
The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don’t think it’s difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy – and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.
I’m a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I’ll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.
All best,
Bill Condon
P.S. Answer #1: No, there won’t be any musical numbers