Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz ‘Breaking Dawn’ contract impasse comes to an end
May 19 update: After much Sturm und Drang and a few “scandalous” (or at the very least embarrassing) accusations of exploitation and low wages, Ashley Greene (the Twilight vampire Alice Cullen) and Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen) have finally signed on to appear in Summit Entertainment’s final installment of The Twilight Saga franchise, Breaking Dawn, possibly to be split into two movies to be directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, Dreamgirls).
According to one online report, part of the reason for the widely publicized impasse between Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz, and Summit was that Greene, 23, and Lutz, 25, had been unable to renegotiate their contracts (see further below) following the unexpected worldwide success of the original Twilight in 2008.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight went on to gross $408.7 million globally. The Chris Weitz-directed sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, earned even more money: $709 million worldwide. Both Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz had brief supporting roles in the first film; Greene’s role was expanded in New Moon and its follow-up, David Slade’s Eclipse. Lutz got a few more lines in both films.
Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene movies of the non-‘Twilight’ variety
Besides The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Ashley Greene has also signed on to appear in Butter, a comedy directed by Jim Field Smith, and starring Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone, and Olivia Wilde. In addition to Eclipse, Greene has two movies scheduled to come out in 2010: Todd Lincoln’s The Apparition and Michael F. Sears’ A Warrior’s Heart, in which she co-stars with fellow Twilighter Kellan Lutz.
Lutz, for his part, has recently starred shirtless in Calvin Klein underwear ads. He is currently filming Love, Wedding, Marriage, which also features Mandy Moore, Jane Seymour, Blythe Danner, and James Brolin under the direction of Dermot Mulroney (whose acting gigs include Longtime Companion and My Best Friend’s Wedding).
‘Twilight Breaking Dawn’ in two parts
Breaking Dawn should begin production in the fall. In all likelihood, this last installment in the Twilight Saga movie franchise will be split into two parts to be shot concurrently: Part 1 is to be released in fall 2011; Part 2 would reach screens in summer 2012. Needless to say, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will be back as the three principals: Jacob Black, Edward Cullen, and Bella Swan.
Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. As in the previous two Twilight films, Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.
In addition to Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, Kellan Lutz, and Ashley Greene, the Twilight Eclipse cast includes the following: Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Elizabeth Reaser, Daniel Cudmore, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, Charlie Bewley, Sarah Clarke, Gil Birmingham, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Alice Cullen Ashley Greene Twilight New Moon photo: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.
Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz, who have been fighting for higher paychecks for their work on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, have reached a deal with Summit Entertainment, according to Nicole Sperling at EW.com.
Both Greene and Lutz play two of the Cullen “children” – Alice and Emmett, vampires adopted by the kindly Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli). The other two adoptees are Robert Pattinson’s Edward and Jackson Rathbone’s Jasper. Elizabeth Reaser plays their mother, Esme.
Sperling adds in her report that it’s unclear who has given in – or if both parties reached a compromise.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn should start shooting in the fall, but no dates have been set as yet. Academy Award winner Bill Condon will direct the movie, which in all probability will be split into two parts (hence the salary dispute): part I to be released in the fall of 2011; part II to reach screens in summer 2012.
Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Kristen Stewart will be back as the three principals.
Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.
Photo: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment)
May 18 update
Elizabeth Reaser, who plays Robert Pattinson’s vampire “mother” Esme Cullen in the Twilight Saga movies, has said that contract negotiations are a part of show business and that the Kellan Lutz-Ashley Greene contract dispute with Summit Entertainment for the expected Part II of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn has been overblown.
Summit Entertainment is officially keeping mum. Reports about Lutz’s and Greene’s demands have ranged from $1m-$4 million for each Breaking Dawn film. According to various reports, initially both Reaser and fellow Cullen family member Jackson Rathbone had been demanding more money as well.
Reaser is unhappy about one thing, however. Summit hasn’t decided when exactly Breaking Dawn will start filming and the actress wants to find out “because I’m trying to plan my life.”
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens June 30. Breaking Dawn, to be directed by Bill Condon and starring Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, should start filming sometime in the fall.
Quote: The Associated Press
Photo: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment)
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Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene’s salary negotiations for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn are still under way. Lutz and Greene were contracted to appear in one Breaking Dawn movie. The problem is that Summit Entertainment, which owns the rights to Stephenie Meyer’s novels, may well want two. Thus, Lutz and Greene have been fighting for more money for their work on “Part II.”
Bill Condon is scheduled to direct Breaking Dawn, which will bring back Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black. The movie – whether a long feature or a two-part release – is scheduled to begin filming in the fall.
In addition to Pattinson, Stewart, and Lautner, the Twilight Saga‘s supporting cast members have signed on as well, including most of the Cullen “family,” of which both Lutz and Greene are a part – as, respectively, Emmett and Alice.
Peter Facinelli, who plays the kind Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the family’s patriarch, has told Popcornbiz / NBC Chicago the following about the Lutz-Greene vs. Summit Entertainment Twilight salary saga:
“I haven’t spoken to them about this.” [Facinelli then added he doesn’t plan to either.]
“Their deals are their deals. I respect whatever they decide to do. Every actor has to do their deal.”
Whether Breaking Dawn will be turned into one movie or two, Facinelli was just as diplomatic:
“I don’t think it’s been decided. I respect Summit’s ability to decide when they get to the cutting room floor to see if it warrants one movie or two. If it doesn’t they’ll make one.”
“The decision will be made at some point, but it won’t be my decision.”
A small banner announcing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has been circulating online. If the decision hasn’t been made, at least we know which way the decision makers are leaning.
Photo: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment)
May 14
Kristen Stewart, the 20-year-old actress best known for her Bella Swan in Twilight, New Moon, and the upcoming Eclipse, torn between Robert Pattinson’s vampire and Taylor Lautner’s werewolf, has been trying to branch out as an actress. In the last couple of years, Stewart has taken on challenging roles in several independent productions.
Two of those, Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways, co-starring Dakota Fanning, and Jake Scott’s Welcome to the Rileys, co-starring James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo, were greeted with positive notices – mostly directed at Stewart’s performances – at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Both were eventually bought by Apparition. (For Welcome to the Rileys, which sparked an email campaign to get the film distributed, Apparition partnered with the Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group.)
This past Monday, May 10, Apparition co-found Bob Berney abruptly left the company, catching off-guard those at the indie distributor, including partner Bill Pohlad, and just about everyone else in the industry.
Pohlad’s e-mail to his staff was shortly thereafter made public:
To our Apparition colleagues and staff:
As some of you may know, Bob Berney has submitted his resignation to me. I suspect that this news comes as a surprise to many of you. It certainly did to me. So I can’t claim that we have a plan in place yet in the wake of this announcement. I can, however, assure you that we will be working in the days ahead to explore our options regarding his replacement. In the meantime, Valerie Bruce, our Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, will serve as interim COO.
I apologize for whatever confusion and uncertainty this news may cause, but know that we are proud and grateful for all the work that you have put into the company and appreciate your continued support.
Bill Pohlad
The recently formed Apparition attempted to take off with Jane Campion’s Bright Star, starring Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish, one of the hits at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The $8.5 million period romance, however, ended up earning a quite disappointing $4.44 million at the domestic box office.
There were also stories about disagreements between Pohlad and Berney after Pohlad’s production company River Road sold the domestic rights to Doug Liman’s political drama Fair Game, starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, to Summit Entertainment. (Those stories were later refuted, at least to a certain extent.)
A dearth of ready investment funds at Apparition didn’t help matters any. But the strip of film that broke the camel’s back was apparently the way the R-rated rock biopic The Runaways was released.
“I can knock down that Fair Game, which Pohlad’s River Road financed along with Participant Media but is being distributed by Summit, [caused] the schism,” Mike Fleming wrote at Deadline.com. “From what I’m told, there was no big disagreement over that film. But I have heard there was significant disagreement between Pohlad and Berney over how to release The Runaways. Berney wanted to go wide on 1200 screens. Instead, the film was platformed and supported with a viral campaign.”
Concurring with that assessment, Thompson on Hollywood‘s Anne Thompson asserted that “the movie that most tested the Pohlad/Berney partnership was music biopic The Runaways, which carried high expectations due to Twilight stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. In that case, after a splashy media launch at Sundance, Pohlad altered Berney’s distribution plans, drastically pulling the film back from a planned wide release to a more conservative platform.”
Despite a number of good reviews for Sigismondi’s film and especially for Stewart’s performance as rocker Joan Jett, after eight weeks The Runaways has grossed a meager $3.5 million – or a little more than one third of its reported $10 million cost. Its widest release was at 244 theaters on opening weekend. A planned expansion last April meant going from 84 theaters showing the film on weekend no. 3 to 204 theaters on weekend no. 4 and 243 theaters on weekend no. 5.
The film’s R rating could well be part of the problem, as it has helped to keep away Stewart’s countless teenage fans. (The Runaways should have better luck on DVD/VOD.) A number of those fans, for their part, have voiced complaints that Apparition did a poor job of raising awareness about their film.
Kristen Stewart’s Welcome to the Rileys, reportedly acquired by Berney himself, will be playing at the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival, which will also feature a special screening of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. In Welcome to the Rileys, Stewart plays a foul-mouthed pole dancer-cum-sex worker who is “saved” by a man (Gandolfini) who had recently lost his daughter.
Unless there are more upheavals at Apparition, Welcome to the Rileys is scheduled to be released in the United States later this year.
Also, check out Larry Richman’s analysis of the Berney-Apparition issue.
May 12 update: Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene have been demanding $4 million each for each of the two The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movies, according to several unnamed EW.com sources. In the same article, however, another source is cited claiming the performers want to be paid $1 million “or more” each. That’s quite a gap between “sources.” Which one do you believe?
Summit hasn’t been talking – at least officially.
As per the report, Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Greene (Alice Cullen), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), and Nikki Reed (Rosalie) had initially banded together to demand more money. Their rationale was that they may have fewer lines in the films themselves, but they have to be on the set along with principals Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, and do loads of Twilight Saga-related promos.
And the two Twilight Saga movies have earned over $1.1 billion worldwide at the box office alone.
EW.com adds that Reed is now apparently close to signing a deal within the $750,000-$1 million range for the role of Rosalie Hale. Rathbone’s fate remains unclear at this stage.
Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will open in the United States on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.
Photos: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment); The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment)
May 11 update
Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner are all set to star in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, to be released in November 2011. Oscar winner Bill Condon has been hired to direct the last installment(s) of the series. And in the image above you can see Summit Entertainment’s teaser poster for the film – which says “Part I.”
In other words, a “Part II” is all but inevitable – Pattinson, Stewart, and Lautner are already onboard (or nearly there) – despite reports that Summit might want to stick to one single (and long) film because of a salary impasse with several supporting players in the series, most notably Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, two of the Cullen “children”: Emmett and Alice, Pattinson’s/Edward’s vampire “siblings.”
The curious thing about Breaking Dawn‘s contract negotiations is that in case all recurring Twilight Saga cast members, including its chief supporting players, did sign on – following the first Twilight‘s unexpected mega-success – to appear in a fourth film in the series, that would be Breaking Dawn Part I.
If such an agreement is indeed in place, then it would be not only pretty weird but quite possibly pretty costly to have one or more actors replace the current recalcitrant players in Breaking Dawn Part II for the very fact that the two movies will be shot back-to-back – so as to save costs.
Imagine if there’s a scene featuring Emmett Cullen in a specific setting: one at the beginning of Breaking Dawn; one in the second half of the story. If the two movies are going to be shot back-to-back (or simultaneously, if the same location is needed in both Part I and Part II) and, say, Kellan Lutz is replaced by another actor, would Summit need to have Lutz and his replacement on hand for those days?
Or, if Lutz has indeed been contracted to be featured in one Breaking Dawn movie, would Summit opt to pay him not to appear in either Part I or Part II?
Either choice would be awkward at best.
Twilight fans are surely hoping all parties involved will be able to work this all out.
Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, Lutz, Greene, and all others will next be seen in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which opens in the United States on June 30.
Photo: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment)
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
May 11 a.m.
Ashley Greene / Alice Cullen, The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are close to finalizing contractual agreements with Summit Entertainment to star in two The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movies, both to be directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon. Stephenie Meyer has already given the go-ahead to split her last Twilight novel into two movies.
According to Matthew Beloni’s piece in The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner will get much fatter paychecks for their appearance in a fifth film in the series. But Beloni adds that there’s a serious problem with Breaking Dawn – Part 2: an impasse between Summit and several of the supporting players in Twilight Saga franchise.
As per Beloni’s piece, Summit has reached a deal with both Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Edward’s “father”) and Billy Burke (police officer Charlie Swan, Bella’s clueless, obnoxious father – I’m reading Eclipse now; Charlie would be a perfect candidate for a vampire dinner party).
Now, “the Cullen kids” – Beloni singles out Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), recently seen in A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen) “are trying to sink their teeth into bigger paydays that, at least at this point, the studio behind the billion-dollar franchise is unwilling to provide.”
Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz Breaking Dawn Offer ‘Offensive’
As per Beloni’s sources, Lutz and Greene have been offered “at least 10 times what the actors made on the first movie.” The offer, however, was deemed “offensive,” considering that to date Twilight‘s first two movies have grossed $1.118 billion worldwide – not to mention their record-breaking DVD sales, VOD earnings, etc.
There’s already the threat that at least one of the recalcitrant actors will be booted from the series, much like what happened to Rachelle Lefevre, who played the vicious vampire Victoria in both Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight and Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Officially because of scheduling conflicts; unofficially because her representatives played hardball on money matters, Lefevre was kicked out of Eclipse. (In all fairness, Lefevre’s demanding more money would make sense, as Victoria plays a much larger role in Eclipse than in the previous two films.)
Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard’s daughter and reportedly the initial choice for the role, replaced the departing Lefevre.
Another concern for Summit is that costs have been going up as well: Twilight had a $37 million budget, as per Box Office Mojo. New Moon‘s budget was $50 million and Eclipse has cost approximately $65 million according to the Reporter piece.
Breaking Dawn, partly (chiefly?) as a result of Pattinson’s, Stewart’s, and Lautner’s salary increases, should end up quite a bit costlier than any of the previous three films even if shot back-to-back (in fall 2010), as planned, and possibly in Louisiana, where tax breaks would be made available.
The first Breaking Dawn movie will be released in November 2011. The all-but-inevitable second part should be out in summer 2012. Would audiences accept two new faces in the Cullen family in BD2 – or would that throw the series off-kilter, even if only slightly? If so, would anyone care, as long as Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner are back?
The next installment of the Twilight Saga series to hit theaters, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, opens in the United States next June 30. David Slade directed it from Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay.
Also in the Eclipse cast: Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Ashley Greene / Alice Cullen / The Twilight Saga: New Moon picture: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart embrace in ‘Eclipse’: Expect more of same in ‘Breaking Dawn.’Oscar chances for ‘Breaking Dawn’?
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, the final installment in the Twilight movie series, will be released next year, on Nov. 18 to be exact, Summit Entertainment has announced. Melissa Rosenberg is currently working on the adaptation of the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling literary series.
Directed by Oscar winner Bill Condon (Best Adapted Screenplay for Gods and Monsters, 1998), Breaking Dawn will once again follow the romantic and life-and-limb-threatening travails of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
Like the upcoming Breaking Dawn, both Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight (2008) and Chris Weitz’s New Moon (2009) were mid-November releases. The former grossed $396 million worldwide; the latter took in $709 million. New Moon, in fact, had a record-breaking domestic debut weekend.
‘Breaking Dawn 2’?
What remains unclear at this point is whether Summit will be announcing a second date for Breaking Dawn – in case Meyer’s long novel is turned into two films. Or whether Breaking Dawn will be shot in 3D or plain old (and good) 2D. Or whether the film will be have a garlicky R rating placed around its neck in the U.S.
Considering everything that takes place in the Breaking Dawn book (more on that further below), Summit, Condon, Rosenberg, and co-producer Meyer will probably have some trouble keeping the film(s) within PG-13-friendly parameters.
Thanks to the Motion Picture Association of America’s warped censorship system, if Breaking Dawn receives an R, most U.S. teenagers – who can easily buy and read Meyer’s novel – would be prevented from watching the movie unless accompanied by an adult.
But really, would Summit even dream of running that risk?
Fall release strategy
Now, Breaking Dawn‘s late fall release date could be only a matter of logistics and timing. After all, filming should commence in fall 2010; delays almost invariably happen, while quality post-production work takes time.
Also, as mentioned above, Breaking Dawn is “heavier” than its predecessors – issues broached in the novel include (the possibility of) abortion, adult-child “imprinting” (a sort of quasi-romantic bond), and all-around oblivion. In other words, a film version of the story wouldn’t exactly fit into your typical summer fare.
But there may be something else at play as well.
Oscar-caliber director
Summit made a point of looking for an Oscar-caliber filmmaker for their project. Best Director Oscar nominees Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, 1997; Milk, 2008), Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, 2000; The Hours, 2002; The Reader, 2008), and Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, 2003) were all mentioned as Breaking Dawn possibilities before Bill Condon finally signed on to the project.
In the last 12 years, Condon has directed a mere three narrative features. Total number of Oscar nominations: 12 (three for Gods and Monsters; one for Kinsey, 2004; eight for Dreamgirls, 2006).
So, could Summit have hopes of getting (at least) a few Oscar nominations for their late-year release?
Think ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Transformers’ movies
Don’t laugh. If the Harry Potter and Transformers movies can receive Academy Award nominations, why can’t a Twilight movie? Even if only in the “technical” categories?
(Although Condon is a remarkable actors’ director. Five of his films’ 12 Oscar nominations went to actors: Ian McKellen and Lynn Redgrave in Gods and Monsters; Laura Linney in Kinsey; and Eddie Murphy, and eventual Best Supporting Actress winner Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls.)
Neither Twilight nor New Moon earned a single Oscar nomination. In fact, they were all but ignored during awards season. We’ll see what happens with Eclipse – a summer release and thus more likely to be “forgotten” by year’s end.
Robert Pattinson a.k.a. the ashen-faced veggie vampire Edward Cullen in Eclipse.More Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
And finally, pictured above is Robert Pattinson a.k.a. the tomato-juice-deficient vampire Edward Cullen in another Eclipse promo image.
Admittedly, Edward looks sultrier in the other Robert Pattinson/Edward Cullen picture that has been released online. Here, he looks a little uncomfortable; Pattinson’s vampire make-up looks more obvious than in the other shot as well.
Perhaps because of the flat lighting right on his face? Your guess is as good as mine.
‘Eclipse’ movie cast
Directed by David Slade from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestseller, Eclipse opens in the U.S. and Canada on June 30, ’10. The film’s world premiere will be held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on June 24.
Besides Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, the Eclipse cast features the following:
Bryce Dallas Howard (replacing Rachelle Lefevre as the vicious vampire Victoria).
Xavier Samuel as the newborn vampire Riley.
Peter Facinelli. Elizabeth Reaser. Kellan Lutz. Dakota Fanning. Billy Burke. Ashley Greene.
Jackson Rathbone. Nikki Reed. Daniel Cudmore. Gil Birmingham. Michael Welch. Julia Jones.
Booboo Stewart. Kiowa Gordon. Charlie Bewley.
Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 2009).
Best Actress Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, 2004).
Robert Pattinson will be surrounded by Oscar winners and nominees both in front and behind the cameras in his upcoming project Water for Elephants, directed by Francis Lawrence (whose last feature was Will Smith’s I Am Legend) and based on Sara Gruen’s novel.
Pattinson’s co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz are both Oscar winners. Witherspoon won a Best Actress Oscar for James Mangold’s Walk the Line (2005), while Waltz was this year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner for Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
Hal Holbrook, who’ll be playing the aged version of Pattinson’s character – a young traveling-circus veterinary during the Depression years – received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Sean Penn’s Into the Wild two years ago.
Additionally, Water for Elephants screenwriter Richard LaGravenese was nominated for his work on Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King (1991); production designer Jack Fisk (Sissy Spacek’s husband) and set decorator Jim Erickson shared a nomination for There Will Be Blood (2007); and costume designer Jacqueline West has been up for two Oscars: Quills (2000) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Rodrigo Prieto was the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Brokeback Mountain. And finally, one of Water for Elephants’ three producers, Gil Netter, was shortlisted as one of the producers of this year’s Best Picture nominee The Blind Side.
Photo: Remember Me (Myles Aronowitz / Summit Entertainment)
Hal Holbrook will play the old Robert Pattinson in Francis Lawrence’s Water for Elephants, Pattinson’s next film project (along with Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn). Lawrence announced Holbrook’s casting on his Twitter page.
Others in the love triangle/circus drama adapted by Richard LaGravenese from Sara Gruen’s novel are Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz.
Veteran Holbrook, 85, whose wife Dixie Carter (of Designing Women) has recently passed away, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Sean Penn’s Into the Wild two years ago. (Coincidentally, Penn was originally slated for the role that has ultimately gone to Waltz, while Kristen Stewart, Pattinson’s co-star in the Twilight Saga series, had a supporting role in the film.)
Holbrook was also considered as a potential Best Actor Oscar contender earlier this year, but perhaps because Scott Teems’ That Evening Sun was so little seen Holbrook’s performance as a determined Tennessee farmer was (unfortunately) ignored by critics’ groups, the Academy, and other award-giving organizations.
In Water for Elephants, Pattinson plays a young veterinary student who abandons college following the death of his parents. He then joins a circus where he’s befriended by a performer (Witherspoon) and is hated by her psychotic husband (Waltz).
Also in the Water for Elephants cast: Stephen Taylor and Renee Diamond.
Photos: Remember Me (Myles Aronowitz / Summit Entertainment); Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage)
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Eclipse character poster: Summit Entertainment.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart embrace in Eclipse: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.
72 comments
When does pt 2 come out
seni coxxxxx sevirem ROBERT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!en boyuk arzum seninle evlenmekdir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!insaallah safak vakti tz veriler tv-ye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!basarilarinin davamin arzuluyuram!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!seni sevirem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anna and robert=i love you
Okay , I know that Summit is making huge bucks on this series and that both sides have good arguements. Let me just say that from a fans perspective they need to work this out! The Series must be protected. Without Twilight, No one would have probably ever have known who Ashley Green or Kellen Lutz are! The series has made them famous, they owe it to the fans to do the movies! Even if they do not pay them the exact amount they want ! I feel that if they do it for the fans ,it will pay off! We will support their future work! Work it out and then send Catherine Hardwicke a “thank you” say what you want about her, she has a good eye for talent. All of the cast has been excellent!
whatever is going on that doesnt matter for me cuz what i just wanna say is that no has to leave this Twilight saga cuz all the cast is just perfect and no other ca fit the roles as these people have done.
for the cast of twilight series: you people have done a great job and i hope to see you in the next movie….!
hahahahha.you are so funny? no i dont think so..honestly guys if you read breaking dawn ,you know its a full crap..the book is so badly written..although i might say it will still earn money at the box office..but oscars i dont think so..maybe the final harry potter..it has potential and it was praised by critics…but we all know oscars does not favor fantasy movies…
Hi Robert I just love you soo much.
To je fakt hustý.
It´s really stupid they replaced Victoria. You can really see the difference, prefered the orginal Victoria. Love Jacobn though. And Emmett is great, he´s so funny. Compliment for the people who casted him, he´s great for that role. He has become my favourite character of the movie, although Jacob is way more handsome. I just love them both. If they´d replace one of them, I´ll kill them ( I hope I´ll manage then… won´t come far, i´m just 12). At least I didn´t succeed when I heard they replaced Victoria, so not much of good hope…
I Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove it So much <3<3<3<3
Also if I was a cougar he could handle it.Just keep posting ALL the new posters so I can add to my collection and my wall.An like I said above he is “EYE CANDY” and has never been hard on the eyes(especially when he’s in makeup).
I’m a 62 year old woman and yes I do know that Edward Cullen is not real.I own this poster and yes it is on my wall and damn he looks good there and he is definitely “eye candy”. This is the best poster to date of him thanks for making my day no my week.
I just love him…. He is awesome..
How can anyone be surprised Kristen, ruins everything she touches. Twi made it despite her not because of her. The Yellow Hankerchief lost over 20 million and Adventureland lost over 30 million. The Runaways lost over 12 million. Guess who the common denominator is? Remove all the biased opinions and look at the facts Kristen Stewart can’t act and has openly stated she likes to do movies nobody sees. So she’s intending the production company to go under from the start, she doesn’t care who’s life she ruins.
it wont be the same if everyone from the original cullen family is not in the movie. i was sad when they changed victoria, but ill be even more upset if the change my favorite character which is Alice. and emmet makes me smile he’s so funny. especially in the book. but i believe that it will be a dramatic effect if the characters are re-cast.
Just wait for the next series,Rob!!
I think either way he is just gorgeous!
TRISH, sweety. You clearly don’t know Robert Pattinson. He does NOT believe he is the best and he IS NOT full of himself at all. If you’ve watched his interviews, if anything, he dishes out on all his imperfections, which is why the public is attracted to him. He’s an honest guy with a lot of jelous haters. And for Kristen, she’s getting better.
I’m really excited that they decided to turn this book into a movie. I read it awhile ago, and it was with out a doubt a page turner. I’ll have to dust it off and re-read it before the movie comes.
There is no way Kristen Stewart is going to last that long. Kristen is acting bonkers even for her. It’s like she decided to ruin her career and instead of just quitting she’s going to hurt everybody else that gets a % of the box office take. Summit needs to look at this because I think they need to replace her. Summit can’t depend on her.
good for him. he is making better choices. twilight put him on the map, now he has to start taking roles that show his acting. he was great in remember me. and i loved the book water for elephants, so i am really looking foward to seeing him in this.
Unfortunately I haven’t got to see this one yet, though I’m eagerly awaiting for the DVD release. It’s nice to know how screwed up the marketing of this was and maybe they will learn something from the experience.
To say that all of the Twilight fans are tweens is absurd, I’m way past that age. Although I was a Kristen Stewart fan before Twilight, I am a huge fan of Dakota Fanning and watched because of them and was happy that I did. Also read the books thank you.
Casting the two into this movie should have been enough to catapult this movie into good box-office territory. Both are incredible young women and amazing actresses. Apparition messed this one up totally and deserve all the fallout that comes from it. Just my two cents.
Rob is only 24 years old and is just starting what I believe will be an extraordinary career. When Paul Newman was just starting he starred in an incredibly bad movie called The Silver Chalice. People thought he was just another pretty face too. Robs choices show that he is serious about acting and from what I have seen of him he seems humble and grateful to be given these wonderful opportunities. He’s perfect for this part. I reread the book recently. I can’t imagine anyone else playing it.
I LOVE it so so much its the best bella & edward & jacob rock edward is HOT and jacob hot to but i love edward just a little bit bigger sorry taylor but u r hot don’t get me wrong but me is a vampire sorry me is a team edward cullen maybe if if i was a wolf i would love you peace i’m outta here
i love it but its sad bella almost dies well she does if she did not become a vampire
Thank you Elizabeth for stating what many of the fans have been saying since the news broke. Contract negotiations are part of show business (and every other business as well).
Remember Me underperformed because the ending didn’t go well with the American audience. It did well overseas but Hollywood and the studios only care about domestic and openings. The movie starred a Twilght Star in a romance with a PG-13 rating and had commercials in primetime yet hasn’t made $20 mil in the U.S. That may be why Bel Ami doesn’t have a U.S distributor yet.
If The Runaways had of opened to the same amount of theaters as Remember Me (over 2100) its b.o. would be at the same or maybe a little more.
Summit International is handling distribution overseas so it will no doubt make more internationally than domestically (just like Remember Me). Also Sony is handling the DVD release of The Runaways.
The thing that separates these two movies is that Kristen got rave reviews for her performance. There was a rare review that praised Rob’s acting in Remember Me, but it wasn’t widespread. I’m not trying to pit the two against each other, because the films are totally different. I just made a comparison model for the person above.
I expect The Runaways to do $20 at least mil overseas. It should play especially well in the UK, Australia, France, and Japan. Plus I know Summit Intl will put some advertising dollars behind their promotion. Apparition is on a lot of Hollywood people’s pooh list as of late. They will have problems in the future acquiring films if they even stay in business.
I really appreciate this article, because I was actually pretty confused about how everything for The Runaways got screwed up. Rob and Kristen have both made interesting choices, and Remember Me made its money back and then some – they knew they took a chance with the twist ending, but it isn’t as if it was truly a box office bomb. The Runaways wasn’t targeted to teenage girls, obviously, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t have made $20 million, because there’s no reason why it should have showed on only 200+ screens. That’s just absurd, and a good movie got totally screwed by the change in marketing (just like The Young Victoria did). To not have heard of Joan Jett is equally absurd, so I suggest some musical education (not to mention the fact that hello, that’s exactly why movies like this are important) for whoever it was that wrote that. I’m not a big fan of the music, but I at least know who she is and I know about the progress she made for women in music.
I finally managed to see it after so much buzz. I didn’t really believe Kristen Stewart was as good as Ebert said but she was. This movie was flawed in direction and storyline but the lead actors made the ticket price worth it. I would have seen it multiple times if it had been accessible. The sad thing is that I live in a metropolis and I still had to travel more than ten miles to view the movie. That should tell you how bad of a job the studio did. I agree, even A-list male stars like Pitt, Depp, and Clooney need massive advertising dollars or their movies flop. What did Apparition expect. Poor business management if you as me
This is a shame. With the great performances by two amazing young actresses, very good reviews from film critics, The Runaways should do better at box office. Although rate R is a big factor, the big problem is the fail of promotion from Apparition. For God’s sake, a big name like Johnny Depp, they still have to advertise a month before his movie coming out. Even at the premieres, there are no major posters and I don’t believe I saw any poster at NY premiere. I don’t know whose idea to have to 2 release dates while actresses went on to promote the film for a limited release. It makes people confused after they couldn’t see the film at their local theaters.
the Runnaways was excellent choice for Kristen, she was gerat.
It wouldn’t matter how wide the release was for the Runaways. It wasn’t the promotion that made it a failure.
Rob Pattinson will win a Oscar. Just a matter of time. Not a twilight fan. Not knowing who he was until I saw REMEMBER ME I was shocked at his talent.Especially at such a young age.Chris Weitz put it perfectly.
The rating wasn’t the problem. It was the lack of time and money spent on marketing and the fact that they didn’t even put it on 600 screens. Also the article calls it Kristen Stewart’s movie when it really wasn’t. Cherie Currie played by the lovely Dakota Fanning is the lead. The beautiful and Kristen Stewart did however steal every scene she was in. Tweens and teens shouldn’t have been the main people this was marketed to. Most of the audience was older women and men and rock fans. App. should have spent more time wooing that part of the audience. I’m just surprised that The Runaways even still making money. It pulled in about $1100 per screen this week and that’s without any new advertising or anything. It’s going to end up being one of those cult classic films. Just like another one of my favorites, Adventureland. DVD, on Demand, and cable deals should be big.
Hello? Kristen Stewart has fans that aren’t teens or tweens! There are millons of us “older” fans who were eagerly waiting to see the damn movie and it never made it to our city much less the state! These execs need to get out in the real world for a change and stop putting everything in a certain demo graphic or age group. There were tons of people on twitter BEGGING to see it! In order to make money gentlemen you have to LET FANS SEE IT!!!DUH!!
Thank you to the person up top that mentioned “The Young Victoria”. I’m not sure why this article didn’t. I live in the UK and we have to wait ages to see most American films and lately we only get bollocks like “Clash of the Titans” and the ilk. I had no clue that Apparition was the studio that put out “TYV”. I managed to see it on the Internet, but I would have gladly paid to see it in cineplex. After doing a bit of research, it seems like Apparition studios doesn’t want to make money. Why acquire these films if you aren’t going to put the marketing dollars to use and get them on screens? I don’t forsee this company being around very long. “TYV” was rated PG, based on a historical romance, and starred Emily Blunt. How could they not sell that?! Supposedly we are getting “The Runaways” in the summer but I won’t hold my breath. I’ll probably have to it on DVD or find it on the net. Under another studio “The Runaways”, “TYV”, and “Bright Star” could have all been indie hits. It seems to me like Bill Pohlad is trying to waste his family’s money.
The “R” rating for The Runaways definitely made an impact by keeping away all the tweens and teens who would have flocked to the movie.
Berney was right. Kristen and Dakota did two premiers and the late night circuit, and Sundance, and then the movie was only limited to a few theaters. It should have opened in NY and LA and then went wide during the brunt of the promotion. Bob Berney has proven that he knows how to get indies to the mainstream and make huge profits. It’s Apparition that dropped the ball. They also dropped the ball on Boondock Saints II and The Young Victoria, both of which was poorly marketed.
I don’t blame Berney for leaving. His talents will be appreciated elsewhere. If they had of done what he suggested and opened The Runaways at 1200 screens, it would have done at least $20 million domestically by now, which is fine on the small budget.
I’m so glad that Sony is involved with Welcome to the Rileys because they are a much larger and commercial studio. The Runaways is already one of the most pre ordered DVD’s on Amazon because many people that wanted to see it didn’t get a chance. It’s too bad that Apparition missed out on theater revenue. They should have taken the risk.
The real winners in The Runaways debacle are Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Kristen Stewart, Joan Jett, and Cherie Curie. All of these people will see increased revenue because of the film. Joan Jett gained a whole new audience and is selling out more concerts. Cherie Currie’s book became a NY Times bestseller. Dakota Fanning and Kristen are being offered some excellent scripts. Michael Shannon is also getting more script offers and bookings.
I think the marketing plan for “The Runaways” (as well as “Remember Me”, for that matter) made the terrible mistake that they assume since the “Twilight” stars were in the movie, people would go see it.
I don’t think having “The Runaways” opened in the selected markets at the beginning has anything to do with this “failure”.
I didn’t go to see “The Runaways” because what I thought the subject matter of this movie didn’t interest me. I’m not familiar with the Joan Jett’s music. In fact, I’d never heard of her until I learned that Kristen Stewart took on the role. I saw the trailer, and it gave me the impression that the movie was all about the music and then nothing else. So, if the film was ACTUALLY good, I blamed whoever was the director of marketing for this film for me choosing not to see this movie at a theatre. This movie actually showed at my hometown for 2 weeks!
i love jacob
I find it really lame and pigheaded of them to be asking for more money, because firstly they are not even in the films that much, though Ashley Greene is in more than Kellan Lutz. She’s not in it enough to be askin’ for tons of cash, for nothing.
This franchise gave her a name, she should be thankful, and if they are already giving them 10x the amount, I think that’s pretty good.
I say if they act like brats kick ’em out.
Plus Alice isn’t in Breaking Dawn for so long.
They should just film all her scenes in Breaking Dawn 1, and not worry about the other movie, like she’s away or whatever. And Emmett well we seen him for like 15 minutes in both movies altogether.
Why isn’t Summit looking at this as one project and filming all of it as one project and paying the cast one salary based on their work in the project? Why two salaries? And if two salaries, then they should be based not per film but per work in said films. It doesn’t appear to me that any of this should be difficult. Summit and all concerned are going to make billions more than they’ve already made when all is said and done. All concerned deserve their due. Work it out on paper and do the right thing. It’s not rocket science.
I hope u don’t replace any actors, I love all of them in the films including the Wolf pack too.
Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz are poor actors who have been given an amazing opportunity for global exposure via the Twilight series. They have played very minor roles to date and could easily be replaced. They gain more leverage from taking part in the promos than they give to each of the movies. Be smart and grateful guys!
I have to disagree. EW is reporting that Kellan and Ashley want four million each movie. Ashley may get two mil for the first, but she’s hardly in the second half. Who’s going to pay four mil for her to write a note, leave, and then come back at the very end. I would have to pull out my book and scan carefully to even find one Emmett part after the arm wrestling. Fans said they would protest when Rachelle was fired, but the majority didn’t because they were curious. They are also going to show up in droves to see BDH in Eclipse. I hate when they change characters, but for that amount of money I don’t blame Summit for considering letting them go.
I would be so disapointed if they were replaced but that wouldn’t stop me from going to see it. Even though it would somewhat ruin Breaking Dawn it will still have Kristen Robert and Taylor so it wouldnt be completely ruind.
u can not change the characters, people like emmett! hes amazing. and plus u could not find a better alice then ashley. i think that if the characters they will lose a lot of people. not to mention everybody hates when you have different people playing parts in series.
If Ashley and Kellan are replaced I swear I will hunt down people who work at summit and I will throw rocks at them as hard as I can… Well not litterly but I will be fucking pissed off
If Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz are replased I will fucking never watch the last movie or movies or I will buy the movies when they come out on DVD just so I can throw them at the actors who replase Ashley and Kellan
No No No they can not replace anyone now.There to far in the serise to do that they would ruin it.And to split the movies up on top of it all where you have to wait 7 to 8 month to watch the 2nd dreaking dawn.What is summit thinking
I hated that they replaced Victoria. Rachelle was fierce and always will be the ultimate Victoria to me. I can’t believe they are planning to boot Cullens siblings now. Recasting this late in the game would ruin the movie continuity completely. Summit made lots of money and they should pay up.
I am wary to watch Eclipse with all the changes they made to the story. If they recast Alice and Emmet, I am done with the series.
No. the Last film would not be the same without the Original actors (Alice /Ashley Greene and Emmett / Kellan Lutz). Their a big part of the Original Cullen family. We as Twihard fans have grown to love the characters they portray and as actors too! So recasting would be so disappointing to the The Twihard fans.
i will be wacthing all of the twilight movies ya !!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do something about the way the characters look. Seriously, they look like FREAKS! Compare Twilight to New Moon and the trailer for Eclipse and you see what I mean. Carlisle, Edward, Alice and especially Jasper, look so strange that when they are in a scene it is distracting. I thought they were supposed to blend in a look beautiful. They look like yellow eyed emotionless wierdos!!!
Summit needs to pay up! It will pay off in the long run. They will ruin the series if they lose original members of the Cullen Family!
Ashley and Kellens charactors are an important part of the Breaking Dawn Story! It would be just plain wrong to change Bella’s Maid of honor or the brother-in-law that she arm wrestles!
We are all paying more at the box office and Summit you must pay more too!
As long as Kristen Stewart is in the movie I will be watching it!!!!!!! Oh yeah and Robert and I guess Taylor = ]~
I seriously hope this doesn’t happen. I love ashley greene and kellan lutz in the roles of alice and emmett. It would definately damper some of my excitment about seeing breaking dawn.
I would not watch the movie if Ashley and Kellan are not in it!!
Ashley Greene was one of the best things to come out of this franchise. I so hope she does not get booted from Breaking Dawn or Kellan either, that would be soo disappointing.
I think I’d boycott Twilight IF any of the Cullen kids were not the original! They all just look great together! Twilight isn’t just about the 3 main characters! All characters play a significant part regardless how small the role is. I mean, can someone else just pick up Ashley Greene’s role as Alice??? OR Emmett’s?? I don’t think so!
NO WAY can they replace Ashley Greene or anyone else in the family because they are an important part of the story, Ashley Greene portrayal of Alice is not replaceable….
Speaking as a *minor* Twilight fan (own the books, some merch, movies, nothing major though, and I am NOT a rabid fangirl by any means), I would be seriously pissed if they replaced any of the “key” players. Bella, Edward, and Jacob ARE NOT the only people that matter. That’s part of what made Twilight accessible was the fact that it made you want to be part of the family in a lot of ways.
You certainly can’t go replacing the Cullens. It’s one thing to recast Victoria. First of all, she has a LOT of hair to hide her, second, she’s not as crucial to the story as some make her out to be (let’s be honest, Twilight is relationship drama with a bit of action/suspense thrown in), and third, she spends the majority of her time MOVING to go after Bella.
You don’t just go and change actors in a franchise like this. Summit needs to pay the big bucks, or not make Breaking Dawn. It’s as simple as that.
‘Cause if *I* care that much, think of how stark raving mad the Twi-hards are going to go.
You have to gave greene and lutz. Because when you read the books now after the films you can see them when you are reading.
It wont be the same they have to be in it.
ROBERT PATTINSON AS EDWARD CULLEN LOOKS AWESOME,A BRILLIANT PICTURE
…I’m happy for Rob and for me he proved that he can “act” in the Twilight movies and more recently on REMEMBER ME.
All I can say is we all start somewhere, he may not be an award winning actor but he’s good for someone who just started acting.
I’m so excited about Water for Elephants (and Bel Ami); it’s going to be great to see Rob surrounded by such talent and working with first class material.
trish
u always bashing rob and kris
do you know them?
do you know tht rob thinks hes the best on the set of his films?
do yu know that he thins hes the greatest because of his fans?
do you?
if not why do u write as if u know them?
or are u just jealous?
Trish, why are you putting down Rob and Kristen. They are both great actors taking on excellent roles. Rob could have done a romantic comedy or some action film, but he wants to improve his acting and challenge himself so he chose Bel Ami and Water for Elephants. The casting directors for those movies must have seen something more than a ‘boytoy show pony’ or they would have went with someone else. It will be interesting to see how he and Christoph Waltz interact on screen. Also, Bill Condon is directing Breaking Dawn, which starts shooting in October/November, so he’s another Oscar winner to add to the list. There must be a reason that all these talented people want to work with the Rob.
On another note, Kristen Stewart just got cast in On the Road, which is produced by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the iconic Jack Kerouac novel.
Many adults don’t have the pedigree that these young people have earned. I wish Rob (and Kristen) the best of luck.
This is the exact company Robert Pattinson should be in. I believe he is an extrememly talented actor who takes his craft seriously. I expect that this is going to be a fantastic movie based on a fantastic book and people will begin to see the raw talent that Rob Pattinson has to bring to the table. With a strong script and good direction this could be an Oscar nomination for Rob down the line. I am so excited about this film. Whether you like the Twilight movies or not, and I do, all of those preteen and teenage fans of the book could easily have turned on Robert if he was unable to portray their dream version of Edward in the movies. But he was spot on in bringing this beloved character to life. He was so good in Little Ashes and equally as good in Remember Me. As Chris Weitz says we have only just begun to see what he is capable of doing on screen. I for one am enjoying this ride and wish him much success.
I am so sorry that all those talented people have to put up with this boytoy show pony. I think it will be even more obvious how bad an actor Robert Pattinson is. Maybe he and Kristen can play a game called who’s the worst.
Robert doesn’t seem to understand emotions except for being girlishly melodramatic. Robert is way to full of himself because of his fans. Robert believes he’s the best on any set he is on.
I agree with Victor; though I knew Robert because of Twilight, the film or it´s saga is not the best to show his talent (even the most talented actors participating in it are wooden) but watching him in Little Ashes and Remember Me showed he can act. Bel Ami has a great cast as well.
It seems FOX is puting a lot into Water for Elephants, they got the best company for the director for the crew and the lead cast is strong. It will be a must see when they release it.
I used to dislike him a lot(i think, mainly for that fvcking never-ending franchise) but then i watched Little Ashes(meh movie but he absolutely nailed it as Dali, one of my idols) i was really really surprised, had watched a lot of other movies about Salvador and they always over acted and got it SO worng but Pattinson was perfect. then, my girlfriend dragged me to watch Remember Me(which to be honest, looked like a Nicholas Sparks’s movie) but i loved it. he was great, very very believable. the relation-shipd were soo real, i just think he has talent and is not one of those stuck-up hollywood actors, i’ll be wtahcing his next movie(Bel Ami) and happy to se what a great movie could Water For Elephants(amazing book) be with all these Oscar nominees. thanks for the info.
This may finally be the script to showcase Robert Pattinson’s acting abilities. He’s in with some big names that are more mainstream with this film. It could be a make it or break it film for his career. Hope he does well.