New Moon spin begins
As Chris Weitz is officially announced as being the director of the Twilight sequel New Moon, the author Stephanie Meyer comes out to praise Catherine Hardwicke and pave the way for a sequel at the hands of Weitz, dispelling any hint of a rumour at unhappiness with any of it.
Meanwhile Weitz comes out and does the same, attempting to appease fans and make them believe that there's absolutely nothing wrong at all.
Chris Weitz was officially announced as the director of the Twilight sequel New Moon at the weekend, and Variety now has the complete story.
However it was /Film that picked up on the marketing messages hitting the Interflab, insisting that all is well with everything, hoping to ensure that the fans don't get all riled up and start complaining about the changes.
The author Stephanie Meyer was the first to come out with the words in defence of the move.
"Like you, I'm sad that Catherine is not continuing on with us for New Moon. I'm going to miss her, not just as a brilliant director, but also as a friend. She has such a distinct, authentic voice that did amazing things for Twilight. I'm looking forward to every movie she does in the future. And she didn't leave us empty handed. We still get the benefits of her amazing casting and the beautiful visual world she created. This foundation puts us in a good place for New Moon."
Well there should be no reason that she's lost as a friend, but you're getting the idea - it's a great loss, we're all sad, but everyone will do well anyway.
Then she addresses the appointment of Weitz, and is full of praise.
"They've asked Chris Weitz, director of American Pie, About a Boy, and The Golden Compass, to join us, and I am very pleased to announce that he's agreed to be a part of our Twilight world. I've had the chance to talk to Chris, and I can tell you that he is excited by the story and eager to keep the movie as close to the book as possible. He is also very aware of you, the fans, and wants to keep you all extremely happy. (Torches and pitchforks are not going to be necessary.) I'm excited to work with Chris and I think he brings a lot to the table, not the least of which for me is that he wrote the screenplay for and directed one of my favorite movies of all time, About a Boy. I'm really looking forward to seeing his vision for New Moon."
I think this might be getting a little too much, it definitely is when you see that Weitz went out and did something similar, he wrote something for the Internet readers and actually his comes off sounding rather persuasive. Let's cut through the pleasantries about how great everyone is and how he's so grateful, and leap into the main text.
"For the last decade of my career as a director, I have chosen to make adaptations of complex and involved works of literature. This has always begun with the love of a book and its characters, story, and theme; and it has always involved a respect of and responsiveness to the feelings of other people who loved those books......Like many of you, I am a fan of Catherine Hardwicke's work. I can't really say much about why she is not doing New Moon because I wasn't involved in those decisions. But I can say that I will devote myself to making the very best and most faithful version of New Moon that can be brought to the screen. To those who doubt that as a male director I can capture Bella's experience. I can only say that emotion is universal and that my work has often involved working with some of the most talented actresses in the world."
Well he certainly sounds convincing and sincere, and reading his letter it does seem as though he is a very good choice for taking forward the next film.
Has he convinced you, the Twilight fan? Or for those non-Twilight fans, is this seeming like another big case of studio PR?
Promotion