While skiing the slopes, we got to talking about Sundance, the festival not only responsible for her big breakthrough, when she won the 2003 directing prize for her debut, thirteen, but also for her landing the Twilight gig. At a Sundance dinner, she’d been seated next to the heads of Summit Entertainment, who handed her five scripts and asked her to read them. “Every one of those scripts sucked,” she says. “Oh, Lord, did they suck.” There was something about Twilight, though. “I thought the script was horrible, but then I looked it up on the Internet and I thought, Okay, it’s based on a book and people tend to like it. There’s gotta be something there. So I read the book and I thought it captured that feeling of being madly in love. And I thought, That’s kind of a good challenge, to see if, as a filmmaker, I could make you feel that giddy, crazy … ” She went to Summit with images of how she thought the movie should look and said she’d only sign on if she could do a complete rewrite. They agreed. (Hardwicke does still feel a little sad about the hearts Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart broke while becoming the greatest twentysomething couple in Hollywood. When they started the movie, Pattinson was with thirteen star Nikki Reed and Stewart was with Michael Angarano. “He’s a wonderful actor. He was in Dogtown, one of my favorites, so I felt pretty bad because I love him and they were such a great couple,” she says.)

Read the full story at Vulture here.

Thanks Noor!

Another incredible addition to our cast—one which I believe I’m the first to announce—Maggie will be played by the wonderful Frances Fisher. Welcome, Frances, I couldn’t be happier that you’ve chosen to join us!

Last week I got to tour the caves, too. They aren’t finished yet, but wow! I’ve gotten to be on some fun builds before—the Eclipse mountaintop, the Cullen house, the Volturi tower, Edward and Bella’s cottage (love!)—but nothing like this. It’s massive and beautiful, and walking around inside is like walking around inside my imagination.

No pictures to share on this one yet. Everything is under wraps for now, but I can’t wait until you can see some of the amazing things we’ve got underway.

Read the full story on Stephenie’s blog here and check out the IMDB page for Frances Fisher here.

On Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 and 2

Right now Breaking Dawn 2 is being edited and having special effects added. Still a ways to go with some very complicated effects; we’re doing some things we’ve never done before. I’ve gotten to see a few scenes so far, and everything is so cool. Bill Condon has such a gift. I was there, I saw everything get filmed, yet I’m still always surprised at how he’s able to put it together into something that is more than the sum of its parts.

I’m looking forward to the Breaking Dawn 1 DVD coming out this week. I actually have no idea what all is on it, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for some of my favorite scenes that didn’t make it into the movie.

I look forward to seeing some of you in the upcoming months as publicity for Breaking Dawn 2 starts up. It feels so weird to think it’s all coming to an end! Happy in some ways, depressing in others. The saddest part for me is that the next premiere is the last time I’ll get to see you guys all together. It’s something I always look forward to, even though it’s frenzied and I don’t really get a chance to talk to anybody. I’ll just tell myself that a couple of you will show up for The Host premiere so that I don’t get too depressed about finality and goodbyes. It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it? Thanks for being there with me through all of this. It wouldn’t have been any fun without you. See, now I’m getting maudlin. Better call it quits before I start crying.

On The Host:

First, a little tease: check back to this page soonish, as I will have some very exciting news to share about upcoming chance for you to get involved with The Host. Stay tuned!

The Host begins filming this coming Monday the thirteenth, and I am so excited. It’s somewhat of a dream to have the creator and director of my favorite sci-fi film (Gattaca) helming this movie. I love the script he’s written, I love his beautiful vision, and I love working with him.

I also can’t say strongly enough how thrilled I am with our cast. The talent involved is unbelievable. We’ve been so blessed/lucky/kissed-by-fate all throughout the casting process. Wanda/Melanie is a very complicated role, and for a long time one of our biggest worries in the producer camp was finding an actress who could bring those two distinct personalities to life. And then Saoirse came along and we all quit worrying. If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching her act, I highly recommend her recent release, Hanna. Actually, watch her in anything she’s done and you’ll see what I mean.

Check out everything that Stephenie has to say on The Host, Breaking Dawn, Austenland and more on her blog here.

Did you see the Breaking Dawn – Part 2 clip at a Target tonight? Did you pick up a copy of Breaking Dawn – Part 1 yet?

The trailer for the fifth and final “Twilight” movie, “Breaking Dawn Part 2,” will debut exclusively on “The Hunger Games” in March — the first significant example of synergy between Lions Gate Entertainment and its new subsidiary Summit Entertainment.

When the studio acquired Summit in January, Lions Gate executives touted the opportunities that would come from bringing together two of Hollywood’s hottest young adult franchises. Because fans tend to get excited about seeing the first trailer for a highly anticipated sequel, Lions Gate is betting it can bring the huge base of “Twilight” fans to the opening weekend of “The Hunger Games,” which debuts March 23.

“‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2′ trailer will debut exclusively on every ‘Hunger Games’ print on its opening night for what will be Lions Gate’s largest release ever,” Santa Monica-based Lions Gate’s chief executive Jon Feltheimer said on a conference call with analysts Friday following the release of its financial results.

Read the full story at The Los Angeles Times here.

Are you going to go see The Hunger Games so that you can watch the Breaking Dawn – Part 2 trailer?

(Many thanks to Hypable for the video player!)

I don’t know about all of you, but I really enjoy hearing from Stephenie Meyer and getting her take on everything that goes on with the movies. These stories are essentially her babies, so it’s fun to hear what she thinks about how they come to life.

What did you think of this latest look at the special features from the Breaking Dawn – Part 1 DVD?

Kellan talks about working with Mickey Rourke and the Twilight series.

You can also watch over at ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ here.

Kellan is looking fantastic! He’s definitely become one of my very favorite cast members over the years. He’s such a cutie, and so sweet to his fans. The story about Kellan climbing into the tree with his book was too funny. How lucky was the audience, all getting a copy of the Breaking Dawn – Part 1 DVD?

What did you think of Kellan’s appearance on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’?

“Altering Kristen Stewart’s body was incredible challenging,” admits Edson Williams. “Fortunately, Legacy created an absolutely amazing life-size puppet of an emaciated Bella; we constantly referred back to it for the body deformations. Most of the shots had both facial and body deformations so we thinned up Kristen’s forearms and legs, and added bony ridges to her knuckles.” The original reference material had to be abandoned. “During our initial development phase of the ‘Bella Effect’ we viewed images of starving young women. The images were horrifying, and we immediately began to search for another source, something much softer. We ended referencing thin fashion and runway models with very defined jaws and cheekbones.” Adjustments had to be made. “John immediately noticed we were reducing the width of Kristen Stewart’s jawline; once we restored the original width, she immediately appeared more emaciated.” 3D head references were used for every shot.

Read the full (really good!) interview at Flickering Myth here.

All I have to say is… WOW!

What did you think of all the special effects in Breaking Dawn – Part 1?

The Twilight Saga has completely captivated so many fans, Peter Facinelli told Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb during his Feb. 7 appearance on the Today show “It’s not a typical vampire movie, it’s about forbidden love,” he told the hosts. Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the films, called his “son” Edward Cullen, played by Rob, “a timeless gentleman,” explaining the character’s enormous appeal to young women.

Read more at Hollywood Life here.

Then go check out a movie by movie comparison of all the title treatments in The Twilight Saga, courtesy of Hypapble here.

I find it interesting that they went back to a yellow based color for this title treatment. I almost expected this last one to either match up a little more with Part 1 or else be more like the original Twilight title treatment, bringing it all full circle.

What do you think of the title treatment for Breaking Dawn – Part 2? Do you like the color? Is it what you expected?

Click HERE to watch the video over at EW.com.

In this exclusive EW clip, it’s all about the wolf pack and their climactic battle with the Cullens towards the end of the film. (And if you don’t want your wolves-are-real illusions shattered, we suggest you don’t continue onward.) The choreography and special effects and stunts were all carefully thought out and planned to the very second in order to make the scene look as realistic as possible. Funny then, how hard it is for the actual actors to pantomime fight scenes versus the air, or in some cases, a not-so-ferocious beanbag. My favorite part? Watching Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) explain that the hardest part in shooting these dramatic scenes is trying not to laugh

Join us over on twitter on Feb 9th from 6-7pm EST as we tweet from @twilighterz with the hastag #TwiMART. We’ll have some fun trivia and a few lucky winners will even win a DVD of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 – Bella’s Wedding Special Edition, exclusively from Walmart. All you need to do is follow along with us, tweet back to us, RT with us, and use that #TwiMART hashtag.

Walmart will have the following exclusive material available at midnight on February 11th for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1:

o Bella’s Wedding Special Edition features the collectible wedding dress packaging
o Fabric poster of Bella and Edward’s big day
o Music videos from Bruno Mars and Christina Perri
o The DVD will be available for $22.96 and the Blu-ray for $26.96

Oh wait, you still haven’t heard the best part!

Right now, below in the comments, tell us which Twilight Saga movie has been your favorite so far. That’s right, you heard me! Fill in your email in the correct spot (it’s not public) along with your name and favorite Twilight Saga movie to date. In honor of Walmart’s exclusive DVD of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 – Bella’s Wedding Special Edition, we’re going to pick ONE lucky winner to win a DVD!

Ready, set, GO! And good luck

After placing your pre-order for ”Breaking Dawn Part 1” Walmart will send you a promotional code email you can use to enter the Breaking Dawn Premiere Sweepstakes. You’ll receive this email no more than 72hrs after your pre-order is placed. Sweepstakes entry is limited to one entry per unique email address.

PRIZES:

1 Grand Prize includes:
-1 trip for two to the Breaking Dawn Part II Premiere in Los Angeles,CA;
-2 round-trip airline tickets to and from Los Angeles; and
-transportation for to and from the hotel and the airport in Los Angeles.

3 First Prizes includes:
-a trip for two (2) to Queensland, Australia consisting of:
-2 round-trip airline tickets to and from Brisbane, Australia;
-2 airline tickets to and from Brisbane and 1 or more Australian destinations included in the trip to be determined by Sponsor;
-7 nights hotel accommodations for 2 people at hotels;
-1 or more tour experiences at Australian points-of-interest; and
-ground transportation to and from all airports and hotels.

100 Each Second Prizes:
-Collectible prop replica of Bella’s Wolf and Heart bracelet.

Enter to win the sweepstakes here, check out all of the prizes here and pre-order your Breaking Dawn – Part 1 DVD at Walmart to get the special entrance code here.

To request a free Code, send an email to breakingdawnecode@brandmovers.com with “Breaking Dawn Promo Code Request” in the subject line. See Official Rules for details.

Nice to see you can enter even if you don’t pre-order from Walmart. Are you going to enter Walmart’s sweepstakes?

The actor, best known for playing Jasper Hale in The Twilight Saga, met his burlesque dancer girlfriend Sheila Hafsadi during a gig for his band 100 Monkeys. Per Rathbone’s rep, the couple is “is thrilled and excited to be expecting their first child.”

Read more at EW.com here and US Weekly here.

Thanks Noor!

Aww Jackson is going to be a dad! Now he’ll be joining the likes of Cam Gigandet in experiencing parenthood for the first time. I think both guys could definitely look to Peter Facinelli for advice and a good role model. Peter’s got the working dad thing down to perfection!

Huge Congratulations to future daddy Jackson!!