Warner Bros. Greenlights Catherine Hardwicke's 'The Girl With The Red Riding Hood,' Receives Bigger Budget Than 'Twilight'

Warner Bros. has officially given Catherine Hardwicke’s “The Girl With The Red Riding Hood” a greenlight, with filming expected to take place this summer in Vancouver. Over the weekend, Amanda Seyfriend said on the Oscar red carpet that this would be her next film, but then quickly recanted saying she was only in negotiations. However, with a firm thumbs up from Warner Bros., we can probably consider her participation a lock at this point.

With early word on the project that it has potential to be the next “Twilight,” it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. has bestowed a budget on the film that is “slightly above” the $37 million Hardwicke had to work with for the vampire franchise.

Based on an idea by Leonardo DiCaprio (and produced under his Appian Way shingle), the film is a reinvention of the familiar fairytale. Hardwicke describes it as “a wild, thrilling mystery in this great Gothic fairytale setting. It’s very sexy, romantic and scary.”

Hardwicke’s previously announced project, “If I Stay” with Dakota Fanning is still lined up at Summit, though obviously, that will have to wait until this film is in the can.