IMAX Corporation and Summit Entertainment announced today that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third film in the studio's "Twilight" franchise, will be released to IMAX(R) theatres simultaneously with the film's launch on June 30, 2010. Directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night, Hard Candy) and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of "The IMAX Experience" with proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. The film franchise is based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer.
"'Twilight' moviegoers will have a whole new way to experience this next installment of the series, with the enhanced image and sound quality of 'The IMAX Experience' putting them IN the movie," said Richie Fay, Summit Entertainment's President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution. "The IMAX release puts us on the event film calendar for 2010, and we're very excited to work with IMAX to bring a new kind of film to the IMAX theatre network."
"Our 2010 film slate continues to fill out with strong titles, and a film from this incredible franchise is a very welcome addition," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "This title fills a valuable spot in our 2010 summer release window, and will no doubt thrill IMAX audiences."
"We're very excited to work with our new partners at Summit Entertainment to transport the very loyal and enthusiastic 'Twilight' fans into the world of the Volturi via The IMAX Experience," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "With our growing theatre network, we're poised to take advantage of the rapidly growing fan-base devoted to this dynamic, cutting edge series."
Amp up the Bella and Edward romance
"Twilight" established the potent romance between Bella and Edward, but "New Moon" sacrificed much of the chemistry for the sake of Bella's growing bond with Jacob. Granted, the reason why Edward was mostly absent during "New Moon" was because he broke up with Bella and was moping around in an apartment for months on end, but Chris Weitz forgot to reestablish why exactly Bella and Edward were so in love. With "Eclipse," we hope David Slade explores their connection, especially with so many fans jumping ship to Team Jacob after seeing Taylor Lautner's abs.
Expand the secondary characters
Even though Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are the biggest draws for most fans, secondary characters like Anna Kendrick's Jessica, Mike Welch's Mike Newton, Dakota Fanning's Jane and Michael Sheen's Aro were key to some of the most fun parts of "New Moon." "Eclipse" introduces a whole slew of new characters (Riley and Leah, anyone?) and we hope some of the old favorites aren't sacrificed for the new, especially with Anna Kendrick's potential Oscar win for "Up in the Air." Plus, there's the fact that the scenes in which Bella interacts with humans (like her father, played by Billy Burke, and the high school students) are some of the most interesting and well-acted in the series thus far.
Make the fight scenes more action-packed
Yes, we understand that a lot of care went into making the CGI werewolves in "New Moon," and thank goodness the fight scenes in the second "Twilight" installment were better than the first, but the final battle in "Eclipse" is the most action-packed part of the entire "Twilight Saga." With David Slade's previous vampire film "30 Days of Night" under his belt, we can expect some intense action, but we'd like to remind him we want to see some newborn vamps being torn limb from limb anyways (and not just in slow motion).
Make the film more appealing to a non-"Twilight" audience
There are a lot of elements in "Eclipse" that could attract an audience not made up solely of Twilighters. In "New Moon," there was no effort spent on setting up the story from the previous book or explaining why Bella and Edward are so in love. "Eclipse" was the book that made Stephenie Meyer's vampire series what it is today, and hopefully "Eclipse" the movie will break the film series out to a larger audience as well.
Have fun with it
Some of the best parts of "New Moon" were when screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and director Chris Weitz let loose and had fun with the film. "Face Punch," anyone? (This I consider a stroke of genius. I expect a "Face Punch" movie poster for Chanukah.) Flying Virgin America to Italy? Jessica's commentary on zombie films? If "Eclipse" doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't hold itself too close to the book, it could turn out to be not only a great movie for "Twilight" fans, but a great film in general.
Let the Race Begin
Summit Entertainment made headlines in February when it announced the release date of "Eclipse" as June 30, less than a year after "New Moon." At the time, the accelerated pace seemed a bit risky, but fans were cautiously pleased that Edward, Bella and the rest wouldn't be aging half-decades at a time between films. Taylor Lautner promised a "darker" film, Kristen Stewart said the love triangle will be further intensified, Rob promised that Bella will be treacherous in the flick, and the Cullens themselves are looking forward to kicking some ass.
Flashing Back
One of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of "Eclipse" is the multiple flashbacks we'll be seeing of Dr. Carlisle Cullen recruiting his "family" as they were set to die decades ago in human form. Jackson Rathbone might have the meatiest backstory as Jasper, and he has filmed scenes where he's riding horses on the Civil War battlefield, learning lessons that will help the family in battle against Victoria. Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria, the vampire who bites Jasper. Meanwhile, Jack Huston has filmed his scenes as Royce King II, a.k.a. the Scumbag Who Nearly Kills Rosalie, and Nikki Reed can't wait for fans to witness her tragic backstory. An eager Slade recently celebrated the film's wrap by leaking the first official photo.
Murphy's Law
Former Bauhaus singer and "Godfather of Goth" Peter Murphy has filmed a key cameo for the third film, an appearance that delighted fan Billy Burke. When we spoke with Melissa Rosenberg recently, she further explained that the cameo sets up the love/hate relationship between the Cullens and the Quileute wolves.
Here Come the Newbies
Among the new stars onboard are Kirsten Prout as Lucy, Boo Boo Stewart as Seth Clearwater, Xavier Samuel as Riley and so many others. At this rate, the cast of the saga might soon outnumber the audience.
Switching Out Stars
Unfortunately, one of the sad things about "New Moon" is that fans spent the weekend watching Rachelle Lefevre's final scenes as Victoria, a character who drives much of "Eclipse." Summit made big news when they announced that Bryce Dallas Howard would be replacing Lefevre. The "stunned" fan favorite went public with her anger over being dismissed. The studio shot back by saying it was "disappointed" in the actress, fans expressed outrage and things became relatively quiet. Lefevre was noticeably absent from the "New Moon" premiere last week, blaming it on a sick dog and claiming she was "too emotional" to attend. We can only hope the drama in "Eclipse" is half as compelling as what has happened behind the scenes.
Google might want to brace for a search onslaught: An unknown Australian actor named Xavier Samuel has landed the first new role in “Eclipse,” the third “Twilight” pic.
Summit has hired the actor to play the role of a “newborn vampire” named Riley, a good-looking college student who joins the plot of villain Victoria to murder protagonist Bella (Kristen Stewart). Riley is corrupted by Victoria, for whom he has an inexplicable weakness. The movie’s larger plot centers on a choice Bella must make between the werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson).
Casting for the third Twilight movie has begun.
We got our hands on a casting notice for at least three characters in Eclipse.
Find out just what director David Slade is looking for. However, we must warn you that there are a few spoilers…
Riley "is a handsome, blond, clean-cut college boy who falls victim to Victoria," the notice reads. He's in his early to mid 20s and "plays an integral role in Victoria's attempt to murder Bella Swan."
There are two more members of the Quileute tribe and La Push wolf pack in Eclipse. Like New Moon, they are looking for Native American or First Nations actors to fill the roles.
"Seth Clearwater is a "tall, gangly-limbed boy with a huge, happy grin," the notice reads. "Seth idolizes Jacob."
Seth's big sister is 19-year-old Leah Clearwater and the only female member of La Push: "She is tall and slender with beautiful skin and short cropped black hair. She would be considered gorgeous if not for the perpetual scowl she carries due to a broken heart and her anger issues."
Now that Eclipse is up and running, what about the fourth, Breaking Dawn? As much as everyone in the cast wants it to happen, it still sounds like nothing's official…yet.
"I'm signed for three," Peter Facinelli told me at the MTV Movie Awards. "I'm hoping that they make four. I mean, if New Moon does well, I think they'll make four."
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have said they want to make Breaking Dawn, too.
When asked about four, Ashley Greene said, "I can't even think that far in advance."
Or maybe she can.
"They're just going to have to make a Twilight Five," she cracked. "I will be forever known as a Twilight girl."
Greene and Kellan Lutz said they'll start shooting Eclipse in August.
When Peter compiled his epic and useful list of directors, actors and screenwriters plugged into Twitter, one of those included was Hard Candyman David Slade. Today, however, it seems like Slade’s Twitter account has been deleted, which is a crying shame. Besides the loss of an interesting tweeter, another of the reasons this is unfortunate is that the deletion covers Slade’s tracks a little and hides a rather amusing little attack he launched on the Twilight franchise.
That being the very same Twilight franchise Slade has subsequently signed up to, and for which he will be directing the third installment, Eclipse. Oops.
So, the original Tweet might be gone but after the break we have audio of Slade ripping into Twilight and, if nothing else, its quite funny stuff… and I can’t help wondering what Summit Entertainment, the Twilight cast and Stephenie Meyer think about it? Click here to listen to the Audio inteview
At least one very important person in the movie adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire love story thinks Tatum would be perfect to play bad-boy vampire Riley in Eclipse, the third in the four-book series.
“There’s a very big battle at the end with Riley, and I think Channing would do that so well,” Twilight and New Moon screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who is currently writing the Eclipse script, told us this weekend at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival benefit for the Writers Guild Foundation.
“And there are some complexities to that character," she adds. "He really is tragic. He’s a puppet for Victoria [bad-girl vampire played by Rachelle Lefevre]. So he has to break your heart a little bit at the end when he realizes that she doesn’t want him. Channing could do that beautifully.”
Rosenberg also confirmed some good news for Robert Pattinson fans...
Even though Edward Cullen may not be in the New Moon novel as much as he is in the others, she promised we’ll be seeing plenty of the Brit actor in the flick, which is currently shooting in Vancouver with director Chris Weitz.
“In the book, he’s actually an enormous presence in [Bella’s] mind,” Rosenberg said. “He’s so present in her mind throughout the entire center of the book, so we really played off that, and it kept him alive in a slightly different way, but fans will feel it’s true to the book. You can’t have a Twilight without Rob Pattinson.” Click here to read more
I’ve interviewed David Slade before, and he’s a very smart, charismatic guy who harnesses some immense filmmaking tools. That said, I definitely thought “30 Days of Night” was a disappointment. It had a lot of fatal flaws in it, usually whenever the blood would stop flowing and it was time for us to actually start caring about the characters. “Hard Candy” also flirted with moments of brilliance, but I still feel like Slade’s best work is ahead of him.
What I am beginning to enjoy, however, is Summit’s decision to hire a different director for each film. Which is surprising, because I was definitely hoping that Catherine Hardwicke would oversee the entire series after the first “Twilight” became such a big hit. But if you’re a movie buff (and not just a Twilighter first and foremost), this is developing into a very interesting cinematic experiment.
And whereas Weitz seems likely to try and play things closer to Hardwicke’s blueprint, Slade is the kind of proudly defiant filmmaker who will want to shake things up a bit. For better or worse, the end result is going to be a trilogy of films filtered through three very different lenses. Click here to read more.
Los Angeles, CA April 22, 2009 – Summit Entertainment announced today that David Slade has been hired to direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studio’s TWILIGHT film franchise based on the Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster book series, will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The announcement was made by Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production.
Meyer stated, “I am thrilled that David Slade will be directing ECLIPSE. He’s a visionary filmmaker who has so much to offer this franchise. From the beginning, we’ve been blessed with wonderful directorial talent for the Twilight Saga, and I’m so happy that ECLIPSE will be carrying on with that tradition.”
Feig said, “Stephenie Meyer’s ECLIPSE is a muscular, rich, vivid book and we at Summit looked long and hard for a director who could do it justice. We believe we have found that talent in David Slade, a director who has been able to create complex, visually arresting worlds. We cannot wait to see the ECLIPSE he brings to life and brings to the fans eagerly awaiting its arrival in summer of 2010.”
Filmmaker Slade came to prominence as a director for his work on 2006’s engrossing film HARD CANDY starring Academy Award® Nominated actress Ellen Page as well as directing 2007’s genre hit 30 DAYS OF NIGHT which opened to number one at the box office its first weekend of release.
In ECLIPSE, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Slade is represented by William Morris Agency.
About the TWILIGHT film series
The TWILIGHT film series stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together…even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires.
The action-packed, modern day vampire love story and blockbuster success the first film in the series entitled TWILIGHT was released in theatres on November 21, 2008 grossing $69.6 million domestically during its first weekend. To date the film has grossed over $380 million worldwide. The second installment of the film franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, will be released November 20, 2009.
Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the scripts for both TWILIGHT and NEW MOON, is currently writing the script for ECLIPSE and continues to consult with TWILIGHT book series author Stephenie Meyer.
Insiders tell me that Summit Entertainment is talking to very edgy director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days Of Night) about helming Eclipse, the 3rd pic in the Twilight Saga. I understand he's met with author Stephenie Meyer and Summit prez of production Erik Feig. But let me be clear: there's no deal yet.
"I can confirm that Summit Entertainment is telling Hollywood privately that Juan Antonio Bayona will direct Eclipse. It's a very out-of-the-box choice for the 3rd movie in the "Twilight Saga" series of Stephenie Meyer vampire novels being hurried to the big screen by the start-up studio. (I guess it doesn't matter that other sources tell me Bayona hasn't yet met Stephenie, huh?) Known as a horror wunderkjind and Guillermo Del Toro protege, the age 33 Bayona screened his Spanish language Gothic mystery El Orfanato (The Orphanage) to a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Eclipse is his English language debut. Chris Weitz has already replaced Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke on the sequel New Moon due in November. Eclipse is set for release June 30, 2010, and features battles between werewolves and vampires. Now the question is whether the Twilight fans and Stephenie Meyer will say "Olé"."
Its been confirmed that Chris Weitz wont be directing the third installment of the Twilight saga due to time constraints. While Chris is doing post production for "New Moon", the third movie 'Eclipse' will start filming at the same time. Thus giving us more rumors about the new director.
