EW.COM: CHRIS WEITZ WILL NOT DIRECT ‘ECLIPSE’

Posted February 20th, 2009 By: Team Switzerland 32 Comments »

Hot on the heels of the announcement that ‘Eclipse’ will indeed be made into a film, EW.com is reporting that Chris Weitz, the director of ‘New Moon’, will not be directing the third ‘Twilight’ film. Read below for more details:

Chris Weitz will not direct the third film in the Twilight series, Eclipse, a source close to the production tells EW.com exclusively. Because New Moon, which Weitz is helming, and Eclipse are due to be released so close together (on Nov. 20, 2009, and June 30, 2010, respectively), Weitz will be in post-production on New Moon at the same time that Eclipse will be shooting. That said, the source confirms a report that the movies will not be shot simultaneously or back-to-back; there will be a brief gap between the production of both films.

SOURCE

(Thanks Olga)

I don’t know how I feel about this yet, because we haven’t been given the chance to see ‘New Moon’ and reflect on Chris’ directorial abilities. I do, however, feel a slight bit of worry that maybe they are throwing out these movies too quickly.

What do you think of the news that Chris will not be directing ‘Eclipse’? Do you think they are being too ambitious with their seemingly back to back movies?

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creamy

The worrying for me is now in spiral mode. In the last sentence of the news release, a key word is “brief.”

How can they set this date now? No script, no director. Does this mean the rest of the cast outside of Kristen and Rob have signed contracts for this movie too? My understanding is that Kristen and Rob signed contracts for the first three movies. Who can tell what the truth is?

What is going on Summit?
cassie

what the hale!!!!!!! the filming hasnt even started how can they know his abilities. what if he does a cullentastic job and keeps it very close to the book. are they going to just drop him and a brief gap 1. if weitz isnt directing it how wil they know they have a good diriector in btween that time 2. actors need breaks andknowing summit their going to be doing lots of press thimgs and the actors are going to get very tired 3. how can they add a date already im getting mad summits just a money companythats alll they care about and its making me very fustrated
Hann

I wish they would take some time and effort into eclipse it is the best book in the twilight saga…well thats my opinion
kris 10

I believe Summit is right by moving so quickly to get Eclipse out. Kristen, Taylor and several others don’t have to worry about their age at this time. But if all of you die hard Twilight fans,like myself, want Rob to continue to be the never aging, looking like a greek god, 17 year old, along with the rest of the Cullens, they’ll have to do it now. Summit doesn’t have the luxuary the Harry Potter movies have with their characters, where it’s ok to age. That’s part of the story watching the characters grow. Although, one point both series have in common is the growing complexity. With New Moon, several werewolves are thrown into the picture and we make a trip to Italy and back in three days. Then comes Eclipse, even more werewolves and many more vampires, along with a huge battle. Then the finally, Breaking Dawn has so much to cram into two hours….the wedding, the honeymoon, the pregnancy, Renezmee’s birth, Bella’s beginning as a newborn, the preparation for the Voltori’s arrival, on the battlefield between good and evil and then the final goodbye to our favorite characters as they go to live happily for ever after. When the Harry Potter movies started, they were being produced and released once a year. Then the stories became longer and more complex, so it took longer to produce and more time passed between release dates. So, if they don’t overlap in the scheduling, even if we’d like to see how good or bad Chris does with New Moon, it’s difficult to say if the same actors from the beginning will be there in the end.
unbearable

well, this is like a Harry Potter movies situation and maybe it is a good thing that different directors get the opportunity to be part of the saga.
theresa

I’m glad that summit is getting the movies out so quickly. I just hope that the quality is not affected. I like the idea of them coming out so close together, first of all because I’m impatient, but also because the story in the books happens in a relatively short span of time, so it’s better if the actors don’t age too much ESPECIALLY the vampires, HELLO! Maybe they’ll bring Catherine Hardwicke back for Eclipse and then Chris Weitz can can do Breaking Dawn!
Jessica

Everyone wanted more, cried that the actors were going to be too old looking by the time it was all said and done, and now you are getting what you asked for, especially since interest seems to be wanning in regards to the movies vs the books. (Well heck, even the books.) The hype is somewhat over. People are looking for other films and books similar in genre to find what was lacking here. More for the adult based fans than the children. Anyway, what about the actors. They are entitled to move on. I am sure that they didn’t think filming was going to be back to back when they were locked into contracts,
Look what that poor boy has to go through, seriously, and now Rob had to drop out of another film due to obligations to “The Twilght Series”. Kristen is busy as well.
I am sure that they do appreciate appearing in these films, but the fun of it was taken away from them due to the hype, and they want to do other work, and experience other avenues to work with as well, and can you really blame them? Rob isn’t back but a moment before people are taking pictures of him eating, and going to the eye doctor. I am surprised pics of him on the John aren’t posted all over the web yet. He used to smile, but now there is nothing but disdain, anger, and yes, hate in his eyes, in photos from being stalked all over the world. I admit, I had harsh opinions of them before, but give it a rest, they are truly only sheltered children, pretending to be adults, experiencing the harsh realities of the world for the first time.
I think P. Swazye said once, that Hollywood and fans make these actors into God like deities to worship, until they are used up, become regular and then they are tossed to the side. If they don’t self destruct before getting chucked.
Carly

(I posted this originally on the wrong post, so I’ll re-post it here.)

This makes me sad actually. I was really interested to see what Chris could do with New Moon and I would like to see him continue doing the others if New Moon turned out really good, like I expect it will. Give him a chance at least, you know? Seems like theyâ€™re pushing this through too quickly. If theyâ€™re not filming them back-to-back, I donâ€™t see what the big deal would be about waiting a few extra months until all the promo is done and Chris can direct the next one. Seems like they just got Chris up to speed with everything and it would be a shame to only use him for one movie and have to go through all the ins and outs with yet another director. I was really looking forward to seeing what Chris would do with the franchise. I bet he would do awesome things with it if he could be kept on for the final 3.

Hmmâ€¦just had a thought. Perhaps if Chris canâ€™t direct Eclipse, he can at least direct Breaking Dawn. Eclipse was my least favorite of the 4 books anyway, and I think theyâ€™ll need someone who is really good with concept and special effects to direct Breaking Dawn, so maybe heâ€™d be able to take over the directorâ€™s seat again for that film.

If this is really the case, when do you think theyâ€™ll film Breaking Dawn? Iâ€™m really interested to see how it turns out.
RachelCullen

OhMyHale! i am so frustrated!
Summit are rushing everything! I mean, I understand that the actors aren’t supposed to age, but seriously, this is ridiculous. There isn’t a director or a script and they want eclipse to be released just over 7 months after New Moon? Ughh.
I hope that they all turn out heaps good coz otherwise there will be HEAPS of angry fans. I just hope this isn’t Summit being greedy.
Gabby

Shooting these fast is not the problem. The problem is not having enough pre-production and post-production time. It’s during this time that the movie is built and while filming it IS essential, how you manage those 2 other processes is how good a movie you’ll get. Especially post-production and they are definitely not leaving any open gaps for that, they are going to be so tight on time they can’t afford mistakes and that is bound to cause mistakes…Reshoots, special effects,interviews (a whole promoting tour in this case) all take a great deal of time the process and especially with these actors, who are very talented and have other things to do, it’s going to be chaotic at best. It’s just unrealistic for Summit to expect them to be everywhere at once.
Alice

Oh, I don’t know. You could be right about it being too fast…
amanda

ugh so wait eclipse is going to be out in theaters 7 months after eclipse…so basically New Moon will be in theaters until december/january roughly…wow that seems really fast…great but worrisome at the same time..
kristi

im happy that chris weitz is not directing eclipse, i really want them to bring back catherine hardwick.
Mego

I’m not really worried that Chris Weitz won’t be directing becuase I obviously haven’t seen New Moon so i can’t say he’s great for the Twilight sereis or not yet. I am a bit concerned that the movies are coming out so quick although I am extremley excited that eclipse will be out so soon becuase I loved that book. I guess I just have mixed feeling because I wan them to be out like in the nex three days but I also want them to be good. I guess we’ll just have to see!
Emily

I’m not so sure it’s about Summit being greedy. I think they’re trying to be fiscally responsible though. They really need to strike while the iron is hot, as they are a small studio.

Also, This probably won’t bother the actors as much as you think. I remember an interview with Rob where he said he was glad to take on all “three” movies for two reasons: because they would have to film them close together (so he’d be done with it faster) since he wasn’t supposed to age, plus he wanted a box set to put on his shelf.

The faster they get these done, the more projects they could go onto in the long run. Plus, if they have a different director for the third one, he/she could be doing preproduction while filming for New Moon goes on then the actors would go there and they wouldn’t have to go to so many “planned mobbings” which might make them feel better.
Mandy

The success of “Twilight” has gone to Summit’s head. Now they want to turn out these movies as fast as they can. Sure, I want to see all of them made as bad as the next twilighter but GOODNESS, let the actors get a breather in there somewhere! Not to mention the gobs of angry fans that will probably boycott Eclipse… Not! lol
Livi

Im not sure what to think as we havnt seen new moon yet but if its as good as twilight then its a shame to see him go but it might be good though as Chris Weitz screenplay the golden compass wasnt very good compared to the book it just didnt do it justice and the film didnt even get the 2 sequels that the book has so if it doesnt turn out well it would be good to see a new director and see what affect it as to the film. i guess well just have to see how it turns out but i have a feeling it wont be as good as twilight was as they had more time for the editing and filming(not to mention the time it would consume for the stars with all the interviews and promos etc) whereas this one is going to be all rushed thus forgetting that magic touch that they had in twilight.
Lily

They’re doing these movies way too fast it makes me think that they’re not putting enough in them. I think this will be the downfall of the films. The first wasn’t even that good and hopefully this director chris will do better because i have loved his other movies but i’m worried about another change of directors. They did this with harry potter and that turned out HORRIBLE because the first director they had was amazing and made sure it stuck to the book and the rest have NOT done that at all. I really hope they don’t ruin this.
rhiannon

they are throwing theses movies down the drain! they are shooting them too quickly and they need to stick with one director! i don’t knowif i like chris directing yet bc i haven’t really seen what he’s done with new moon but i dont like some of the peopl they cast for NM. vanessa hudgens? come on!
Carrie

It is so stupid…there should not be another director, next there going to say that Breaking Dawn will have a different director too, there will be no continuity. the only way i see it working out is if they get Cathrine back and that is a stretch. i feel that Summit is just trying to get as much money out of twilight as possible and not thinking about the films, they need to think about what is going to make the best movie, not the most money (that will happen no matter what if it is a good movie and the fans like/love it) i do love that we wont have to wait long for the next movie like any obsessed fan, but its all about weighing the pros and cons. i have worked with editing films and it is a hard thing to do, especially if you want it to be great. i say keep Chris, make a good movie that we all can be proud of, and make all the twilight fans happy. i agree that they could be throwing the movies down the drain if they are not done right, but come one get the facts straight Vanessa Hudgens is not in New Moon, it has been stated by many people now.
ErikaP

Summit needs to put the breaks on for the release date for EC. How about a July or August date instead of June? As a fan and a person, I am worried that both NM and EC will be made in such haste that it will turn crappy! I am sorry to say it, but there it is. Now they need to find someone to do EC if they want to hold that release date (just move it closer to summer). They are still searching for at least 10 new actors/actresses for the parts needed for NM and EC. It is true that no one has seen Chris Wietz’ New Moon. This is getting too nuts! Sloppy work ahead?
Twilight_Hart

OMG I totally am excited and disappointed that they are shooting these movies out so quick and each with a different director. only time will tell if this is indeed a good or bad move. i just hope they do justice to the book.
Bella Swannabee

I think they should wait till new moon is actually finished before anyone starts making any desicions.

(Bring back Catherine!)
Bella Swannabee

I think they should wait till New moon is actually finished till they make this desicion.

(Bring back Catherin!)
kijo921

I don’t understand why everyone is so worried…

First of all, the actors don’t even shoot for that long of a time span anyway. They’ll have New Moon shot in under two months easily. Eclipse MAY take a tad bit longer MAYBE (but there’s no jetting off to Italy in Eclipse).
Second, does there really NEED to be a lot of promotional touring for New Moon??? I mean, really…. there’s been enough promotion and touring from Twilight that we shouldn’t need that for A LONNNNNG TIME!!
And third, just because Summit hasn’t released who the director for Eclipse will be doesn’t mean that they don’t already have a director in mind! People need to just relax and let them do their jobs…. we fans do have an impact and Summit will feel it if New Moon doesn’t turn out well. Maybe that will make them rethink their all-too-quick steps toward pumping out Eclipse prematurely.

Let’s just hope for the best, people!
edelacruz

Okay, if Chris is going to be knee deep in New Moon, I’m sure we all know that solution: BRING BACK CATHERINE HARDWICKE!
Nicole

I don’t know how I feel about a director change again. It’s just kind of annoying that everything keeps changing. I do like that the movies are coming out close together tho. It follows the story more or less. There is about a year between Twilight and New Moon Then only a matter of weeks or a couple months between the other books. I kind of like that they are pushing the dates. It shows in a way how little time has passed between the end of one story to the start of the next.
Forks Alumni

Not to worry as makes sense….. they did this with the Lord of the Rings franchise..of course this may bring Catherine back:)

Also, it frees the actors to return to other projects and to grow as artists and hopefully RP and others WILL touch on their music as well.

Side note: wouldn’t be funny to bring the stuffed owl in from the science classroom!!! Ha that owl got turned more times than the camera’s film spindle….Bwhaaa haaaa
nellie

i hate that they’re rushing perfection but i guess they have too because none of them are getting any younger sooo…
Tia

I’m not worried at all. Harry Potter Series all had different directors and the storyline stayed pretty cohesive because the novels were basically stucture for scripts. I have complete faith and if New Moon stays true to the schedule of Twilight, well then we’ll get New Moon out in theaters on Nov. 20th 2009, on DVD around March/April 2010 and then Eclipse June 30th 2010!!! So pumped that my 2010 will be Twilight Saga fulfilled!!!!!!
http://www.myspace.com/irma_jordan Irma Jordan

Just a comment, eh? Well, I hope they don’t try and combine two books into one movie like Queen Of The Damned was. That movie was ok, but sucked at the same time. Anyway, who’s to know how Chris Weitz is going to be as a director for New Moon? How does anyone know? In my opinion, he did an amazing job at directing The Goldan Compass. Besides, I agree that they should do the movies back-to-back, because Edward is not supposed to look like he’s aged. As stated before, I do hope they don’t decide to combine books into one movie…I have heard they would, but I sure hope not.

Irma
Carrie

It’s been confirmed that David Slade is to be directing Eclipse. I personally have not seen his work or Chris Weitz’s work so I donot have a comparasion to who is better for the job. My worry now is that Summit keeps bringing in all these different directors for each movie so how is the integrity of each film being compromised? All directors have different vision for how their film will look and I think there will be a huge difference between Twilight and New Moon…. So what is the differences we will be seeing between New Moon and Eclipse?? They are putting the movies out too fast if the director from one movie can’t direct the next because he’s in post production!