When Robert Pattinson talks, people evidently listen.
After the award season sweep of “The Hurt Locker” and the continued success of their cash-cow, the ‘Twilight’ franchise, Summit Entertainment are aiming high in their search for directors to take the helm of the final two ‘Twilight’ installments, “Breaking Dawn.”
The studio is reportedly reaching out to Gus Van Sant, Sofia Coppola and Bill Condon to gauge interest from the trio about potentially stepping up to conclude the franchise that has seen the visions of Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz and David Slade. Van Sant’s reps have already confirmed that he’s been approached while reps for the other two weren’t able to be reached at press time.
Realistically though, what are the chances any one of these filmmakers would take up the challenge? Coppola and Condon’s work don’t exactly scream out ‘Twilight’ so we seriously doubt either have even the slightest interest. Van Sant, however, we do hold slight fears for. “Breaking Dawn,” an adolescent coming-of-age tale, certainly plays into the director’s sensibilities and is apparently set in Van Sant’s go-to setting, Portland. That said, we’re giving it way too much credit: Melissa Rosenberg’s upcoming adaptation will also involve characters giving birth to CGI-vampire babies and, we’re guessing, more awkward wolf boys and vampires battling, all potentially in 3D.
Shooting on the the two-part franchise conclusion is slated to begin this fall which may very well rule out all three directors anyway. Van Sant is in post-production on his own ‘Twilight’-esque story, “Restless,” which will keep him busy until it’s likely fall release and has, among others, his long-gestating adaptation of “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” and a Bret Easton Ellis co-scribed story about Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan titled “The Golden Suicides” waiting in the wings. That doesn’t totally rule him out but surely the auteur would prefer his more intellectual, challenging material.
Coppola is in the same boat as Van Sant with “Somewhere” scheduled for the fall and isn’t one to go back to back, especially now with a baby due this May, while Condon will be starting production on his Richard Pryor biopic in the fall.
Our advice? Keep on dreamin’ Summit.
