Article by Alexandra Gambardella
“Harry Potter” did it for wizards, “Lord of the Rings” won big for hobbits, and “Narnia” brought it home for the talking woodland creatures. But can a soon-to-shoot movie similarly turn the creaky film cliché of vampires into the next multimillion-dollar fantasy flick franchise?
“The movie is called ‘Twilight,’” 17-year-old “Into the Wild” actress Kristen Stewart beamed when we recently spoke to her. “['Lords of Dogtown' filmmaker] Catherine Hardwicke is directing it in Washington. It’s based on a book that’s pretty popular [among] young adult, high school kids.”
Although Stewart and co-star Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory!) will soon film only the first movie, they’re already talking about turning the vampire storyline into a series that really sucks. And since the latest book sold over 150,000 copies in its first day alone, Bella and Edward fans everywhere are already counting down the months until the film’s release.
“People really love these books,” said Stewart. “Right now it’s a trilogy, and a fourth book is coming out, so hopefully we’ll get to shoot all four.”
For those who haven’t yet been bitten, “Twilight” will feature Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl whose life gets turned upside-down after she meets and falls in love with a vampire. Additional names will be cast in the next few weeks, but according to the actress, 21-year-old Pattinson is already sinking his teeth into the role of Edward.
“He’s so good and he’s so soulful and he’s just not a liar — you can feel pain from him,” Stewart cooed. “The cool thing about the story is that it’s a seemingly wonderful fantasy — let’s fall in love with vampires and live forever — but it’s so much harder than that. Imagine living forever. Living one life is hard enough.”
But don’t get fooled into thinking this is going to be “The Notebook” for the undead. “The main character is like, superhuman,” Stewart said of the action scenes in the script. “He’s a vampire, but with really [heightened powers]; he can run faster than a car can drive, and he’s super strong. He throws me over his back [in one scene], right before he’s going to tell me that he’s a vampire, and then he runs over the treetops. And we’re going to be in real treetops; we’re not just going to CGI it. We actually get to go up there, and that’s what I’m stoked on.”
“It’s a pretty triumphant love story,” Stewart concluded, looking forward to stepping in front of the cameras. “It’s gonna take a while, and it [deserves to be] at least a series of three.”
UPDATE (2.28.08): ‘Twilight’ Co-Star Rachelle Lefevre Talks Treetop Controversy!
some explaining please :!
Isn't Bella the main character?
Looks like there will be no Port Angeles in the movie.
ahh...
The only things I'm pretty bummed about is that they're misconstruing some of the facts. Bella and Edward don't run in treetops and he tells her he's a vampire in a restaurant! My only complaint so far.
Other than that good luck! I'm so excited for the movie to come out :D
anyway....Best of luck to the actors
Something that will drive me crazy, I'm sure, is this "before he’s going to tell me that he’s a vampire" crap. Bella found out on her own. Do they plan to cut that too? Bella being able to put the pieces together is a major part of the books; it shows that she is clever, perceptive, and clearly bent on figuring Edward out. Urgh...
And further more, since when has Edward been so reckless? He would have waited until he was absolutely sure she could handle it. That was an important scene in Twilight that told the readers how much he showed his inner self to Bella once he was sure she loved him.
If Edward can fly on tree tops, i bet you anything that there will be another outrageous thing: like Esme being a gang leader, or Jasper suffering from multiple personality disorder. Or perhaps they'll change a scene so that the Volturi are really the Village People and sing "YMCA" as a form of torture.
And Edward should not be played by Robert Pattinson. He's way to old looking and just isn't good enough. Edward SHOULD be played by Gaspard Ulliel, he's and amazing actor, looks the boyish look and even has the croked smile!!!!
Casting director could have done way better on that part.
I really wish they included the best scences!
But other than that, it's should be a really good movie!
I can understand - and am definitely a part of - the anger towards the changes they've made so far, judging from this interview and the script sides. I trust Stephenie when she says she's got high hopes for it, but I just can't see where those hopes are coming from. The "flying squirrel" tree thing is ridiculous and they've cheesed it up so much it's disgusting. And apparently now they're excluding La Bella Italia and the ride home from Port Angeles. Then there's the raging hormones scene between Victoria and James. Bella's character has been made too forthcoming. They say she was sent to Forks (as opposed to sending herself, which she plainly states in the book) by her mother. Rosenberg needs to realize this is not The OC. You can't just cheese up the romance from the books, throw in some sex, and make the fans of the books happy. It's not happening.
I'm a bit disappointed with what I'm hearing about the way they're treating the content...especially since they compared the movie to Narnia and LotR. Don't they realize that those films stayed almost entirely with the books? There were a few minor changes and cuts for timing purposes, but it flowed.
If they're making the changes they've meantioned, then it won't flow, and it won't be cuts for the sake of time, nor changes, it'll be for the 'drama' or the 'action' and it won't be right.
As for flying, their adding "powers" that he doesn't have, why not just make him sleep in a coffin, turn into a bat, and burn in the sun light.... The entire point is that he isnt the vampire that you see written into every other damn book out there.
Also, Bella is supposed to know that Edward is a vampire before he runs with her!
the twilight series are my favorite books and i think kristen stewart and robert pattinson will do a great job!
i really hope they keep the movie as close to the story line as possible or else it will totally ruin it for me.
I CANT WAIT FOR THE MOVIE!!
i LOVE EDWARD
and personally i can't wait for the movie
I can understand that I guess because at first I never gave Twilight so much as a second glance meerly because it involved vampires!
But hoestly, how many vampire/movies have you seen that DON"T suck?
Not many right?
Also has it occoured to anyone that MTV records might WANT to make people sceptical of this movie?
After all THEY optioned for this movie FIRST and were regected! (thank god!)
Wouldn't they WANT to make 'Twilight' a failer?
Personally, I am grateful. This movie would have been much much worse if MTV had done it!
*shudder*
~Lindsy~
And I think Robert was a good enough choice for Edward I guess Robert is the closest thing to perfect. Though NO ONE can ever be as perfect as Edward.
Unfourtunatly my Edward looks nothing like Mr. Patterson so I'm kind of scared to see it. But I will be waiting outside the theater none the less.
I hope the movie will have wonderful special effects, when going fast, and I hope that the actor of jacob will do a wonderfully mysterious part in the movie. Even though twilight isn't about jacob
When you think about it, the book grips our imaginations, while the movie is supposed to indulge what we SEE. And seeing Edward on treetops expresses his superhuman powers even more, I guess. (I'm curious how they'll pull it off though.)
Anyway, I can't wait until the movie comes out. The casting isn't what I expected (Hayden Christensen was my ideal Edward :P), but I'm sure they'll do extremely well. Especially since they have experience with these kinds of films.