Chris Weitz New Moon Twilight Sequel Director/ Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart Still Cast Taylor Lautner Out?

Twilight novelist Stephenie Meyer wrote an open letter to fans after many weren't happy with Catherine being fired.

Hey guys,

There's been a lot of worry and speculation on the boards lately, and I want to let you know what's going on.

First of all, 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.

Summit Films is moving forward with a new director for New Moon. 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.

Below is a letter from Chris to you. I think you'll get a glimpse in this note of how cool it's going to be having Chris as part of our community.

Watch a fan video to learn more about the New Moon Campaign. Hopefully everything will work out for Taylor Lautner who may lose his job as Jacob in the popular series for being too small.

HELP ME SAVE NEW MOON!

Summit Entertainment, LLC
1630 Stewart Street, Suite 120
Santa Monica, California 90404
Atten: Twilight Saga Concerns

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily confirmed the rumor that Chris Weitz was going to direct the upcoming Twilight sequels.

He's accepted Summit Entertainment's offer to direct the movie adaptation of the second book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series of vampire novels, New Moon. (I first broke the news that Weitz had received the offer here, and the news that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was off the sequel here.) The offer went out to director Chris Weitz in part because he's a longtime pal of Summit's president of production. Now comes a letter that the director will be sending to Twilight fans (below) with his selection endorsed by Stephenie Meyer (below that). Fan approval is very important to Weitz, who initially resigned from directing The Golden Compass, also based on a popular book, because he feared getting dissed by devotees. Despite that, Summit has put its first valuable franchise in his hands. Weitz has successfully worked with tweens and teens in About A Boy as director and writer, and in American Pie as producer and uncredited director. I'm told Summit wanted Weitz because the studio liked the look of The Golden Compass (he was writer and director) even if it didn't heat up the domestic box office. Here's the Weitz letter to fans:

I'm not saying Weitz is a bad choice, even if I happen to be a bigger fan of his brother Paul Weitz's films, which seem more quirky and personal (Paul did "In Good Company" and "American Dreamz"). But Chris is a talented writer-director and, having shepherded "Golden Compass" to worldwide box-office success, clearly can handle the popularization of a franchise property. But what's fascinating, for the moment, is how Chris handled his first big assignment--reaching out and reassuring "Twilight" fans who were upset over Hardwicke's sudden departure, wanted a woman director to get the gig, or crave a absolutely faithful translation of the remaining books in the series, starting with "New Moon," which Summit hopes to have in theaters by the end of next year.

So here are a few excerpts from what Chris said in his letter to fans--and what it really means:

What he said: "In the past few days I have been involved in a whirlwind romance with Stephenie Meyer's  extraordinary books."

What it means: "It's amazing how fast Amazon can rush an overnight shipment of books to your house."

What he said: "I am very grateful to have received [Stephenie's] permission to protect 'New Moon' in its translation from the page to the screen."

What it means: "I passed the audition."

What he said: "For the last decade of my career as a director, I have chosen to make adaptations of complex and involved works of literature."

What it means: "I barely remember being that smart-aleck brat who did all the semen jokes and sexist gags in 'American Pie.' "

What he said: "When I saw the film of 'Twilight' ... I was struck by the extraordinary passion for the characters, story and theme that was evident in the people sitting in the seats around me."

What it means: "I saw the film in a real movie theater, not in my agent's screening room."

What he said: "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."

What it means: "Don't blame me for her getting the ax. It was those guys over there that fired her."

What he said: "To those of who doubt that as a male director I can capture Bella's experience, I can only say that emotion is universal...."

What it means: "It's not like they hired Michael Bay, OK?"

What he said: "... and my work has often involved working with some of the most talented actresses in the world."

What it means: "By saying 'some of' we're obviously not counting Tara Reid." source

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