As rumors indicated, Summit has officially named Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, About a Boy, American Pie) the director of the sequel to the box-office hit Twilight, New Moon. Summit issued a press release today via Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production saying, “We love Stephenie Meyer’s fantastic Twilight series. Thinking long and hard about how to turn New Moon into the amazing movie we know it will be, and working with Stephenie Meyer to find the right candidate, we are thrilled to announce Chris Weitz as director of the film. Chris very much understands the world of New Moon and has the skill set required to bring the book to glorious life as a movie. We think he will be an excellent steward of Stephenie Meyer’s vision.”
“I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding New Moon from the page to the screen,” said Weitz. “The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book.”
In New Moon, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested. Production on New Moon is scheduled to begin in the coming months and the studio is planning to release the film towards the end of 2009 or early 2010 with rumors pointing to a November 20, 2009 release.
Of course the one thing Twilight fans are sure to notice is the absence of Taylor Lautner’s name from the above synopsis. Lautner played Jacob Black in the first film and it appears rumors are true and he will not be reprising the role in New Moon. Stay tuned as production is rumored to be getting underway on Monday and I am sure the casting process will be fast and furious.
