ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: WILL TAYLOR KEEP HIS ROLE AS JACOB?
Entertainment Weekly has a new article recounting all the drama surrounding the role of Jacob Black the past few months, what Taylor Lautner is doing to beef up, and what screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg had to say about why Taylor may not fit the role. They even say that Summit is expected to announce a ‘big casting choice’ for the next film sometime this week:
By the time you read these words, Taylor Lautner’s fate may already have been decidÂed. He’ll either be reprising his role as Jacob Black in the almost-ready-to-shoot Twilight sequel New Moon, or he’ll be an exceedingly rare species in Holly wood: an actor fired for looking too young.This week, Summit Entertainment is expected to announce a big casting choice for the next film based on Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful series of vampire romance novels. Kristen Stewart, 18, is set to return as Bella Swan, the beautiful human girl who falls for a soft-hearted blood-sucker. And Robert Pattinson, 22, has a lock on his job, too; his turn as Edward Cullen, the hunky, soulful vampire, has made him an overnight superstar with young female movie-goers around the planet. But Lautner, 16, has a more uncertain future. That’s because the character he was so perfectly cast to play in the first Twilight film—a slim, baby-faced teenager—will be greatly expanded in the sequel. And by greatly expanded, we mean into a hulking, snarling, seven-foot Lycan. ”Ja cob is a totally different character in New Moon,” says Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter of both Twilight films. ”He’s a foot taller and huge—and he’s supposed to look 25. It’s really a question of whether or not the same actor can play the role.” Rosenberg is quick to add, however, ”everyone would love to keep him. We all think he’s the loveliest person ever.”
Lautner’s certainly been doing everything in his mortal power to hang on to the part. Since Twilight, he’s gained 19 pounds and is promising to pack on ten more before shooting starts on New Moon this March. And judging from a widely reprinted red-carpet interview, he’s not shy about letting Summit and New Moon’s director Chris Weitz (who joined the fran chise last month after Twilight’s director, Catherine Hardwicke left over creative differences) know that he has the chops for the gig. ”My job for Twilight was to bring Ja cob to life—the friendly, happy-go-lucky little Jacob,” he told MTV.com. ”My job for New Moon is completely different. I’ve been looking forward to that. I’ve been getting ready for that, and I will assure them I can follow through with that.”
Fans of the Twilight novels—specifically those who identify themselves as ”Team Jacob”—are divided over whether Lautner has the machismo to carry ”New Moon.” In fact, pro-Lautner/anti-Lautner fights have been breaking out on the web for weeks. As screenwriter Rosenberg puts it, ”He has to play a romantic lead against Rob, who’s a 23-year old man. That’s a tall order.”
Summit declined to comment on the specifics of this story but Twilight has so far grossed $262 million worldwide and usually when a studio hits franchise pay dirt it tries to keep all the parts in place. But there are exceptions. Just this past October, Marvel announced it was replacing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Nick Stahl took over for the uninsurable Eddie Furlong as John Conner in Terminator 3, while Jake Gyllenhaal very nearly stole Spiderman out from under Tobey Maguire. Recently, there have been rumors that Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) and Michael Copon (Mummy II) are jockeying for Lautner’s spot. But you can chalk that up to empty web noise: reps for both actors say nei ther has been approached for the role. In fact, in what may shape up to be a triumpth of the un derdog, sources close to the production say that the simplest route would be to go with Lautner. EW has confirmed that the actor has not only met with director Weitz, but even screen-tested for chemistry with Kristen Stewart. ”I’m very hopeful,” a New Moon insider says of Lautner. ”We’re not looking at anybody else.”
The irony, it turns out, is that Summit went to an awful lot of trouble to find Lautner in the first place. Two years ago, the studio launched a na tionwide campaign auditioning hundreds of hopefuls in a search for just the right Native American actor to play Jacob Black. They never did find one—Lautner, turns out, is French, Dutch, and German—but it was a lot of work. Of course, nobody back then could have anticipated just how huge a phenomenon the first Twilight movie would become—or how much would end up riding on the casting of its sequel. Even if Lautner does keep his job, he may be nervous enough to start pulling his fur out.
I’m still Team Taylor all the way – and I am crossing my fingers that they will keep him as Jacob. And I know it’s a little weird – but now that we’ve gotten word that Summit is expected to make the announcement this week, I am not even excited to hear it – I’m actually really nervous!
So what did you think of this article, Twilighters? Who do you think should play the role of Jacob? Has your mind changed at all? And what about the expected announcement – are you nervous or excited?
