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Chris Weitz Says Recasting Jacob in New Moon was a Definite Possibility

2009-11-07T23:44:49Z

Director Chris Weitz stepped into the second film of the Twilight series with the main cast in place. Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward, and the actors playing the Cullen family were all pretty much set in stone. And everyone thought Taylor Lautner was all but certain to reprise his role as Jacob Black. But as director Chris Weitz and producer Wyck Godfrey acknowledged at the New Moon press junket, Lautner's return as Jacob was in fact an uncertainty for a while. Of course everyone who follows the Twilight films knows this is old news, but hearing Weitz and Godfrey now talk about the reasoning behind the possible recasting was, nonetheless, interesting.

"I'd say there was a big possibility that could happen, but I was always convinced that he was going to be able to do it," said Weitz. "The doubts came up because he had very few scenes in the first movie. Also because he's described as being 6'5" in the second book, some reasonable facts that we had to come to grip with. But I like the sort of sweetness of this character in the first movie and I knew that it was easier to take an actor in the direction of anger and rage than it was to find someone who is kind of a hunk or 6'5" Native American and somehow turn him into that very sweet-natured persona that Taylor brings out so well to boot."

"It also became less of an idea once audiences identified with Taylor when they saw Twilight," explained producer Godfrey. "He's in their minds. He is Jacob, you know? So it became less of an idea to recast once people really identified, once the movie opened and people were like, 'Taylor is Jacob.' It certainly helped that he had spent the last eight months really working very hard to kind of physically adapt himself to the role."

As for Lautner, all he could do was work on portraying Jacob to the best of his abilities. "Honestly, I knew where my character went in New Moon and that's all I tried to stay focused on. I couldn't control things outside. I couldn't control the media. But I could control what I was doing to portray Jacob Black correctly. So that's what I stayed focused on the whole entire time."

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Chris Weitz Says Recasting Jacob in New Moon was a Definite Possibility originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 23:44:49.

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Jamie Campbell Bower Compares His Twilight and Harry Potter Experiences

2009-11-07T22:07:46Z

Name the two biggest film franchises currently in production. Now name one actor who's in both. Jamie Campbell Bower (best known for his role alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd) is fortunate enough to be a supporting player in the second Twilight movie, New Moon, and in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2. Bower plays Caius, a member of the Volturi, in New Moon, a role he'll reprise if/when the final Twilight book, Breaking Dawn, is made into a movie. And in Harry Potter #7 and #8 Campbell Bower portrays Gellert Grindelwald, a character who makes his first appearance in the series as the Harry Potter franchise winds to a close.

"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, a possible lover," offered Campbell Bower at the LA press day for New Moon.

Asked to compare the experience of working on Twilight with working on the Harry Potter franchise, Campbell Bower said, "The Twilight phenomenon cinematically is relatively young so there's still a lot of growth there to go with the film, and there's still a lot of connections to be made between cast and crew and stuff, whereas with Potter they've been going for 10 years now. It's a machine, Potter. You go in, you do your thing, and then you go on. Whereas with this, it's a lot more finding out about everything and a lot more exploration to do in general."

Campbell Bower's not quite done filming his scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet. "At the moment, I've only worked on it for about a week. I think I've got another week and a bit to go," revealed Campbell Bower. "They're still working on it. They're shooting simultaneously because they've obviously got lots of time scheduled and they have to do both side by side. Whenever they can, they will do that, I think."

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Jamie Campbell Bower Compares His Twilight and Harry Potter Experiences originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 22:07:46.

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Kristen Stewart Reveals Eclipse Details

2009-11-07T20:20:17Z

Yes, I know New Moon (the second film of the Twilight series) hasn't even hit theaters yet, but it's not too early to start talking about Twilight movie #3, Eclipse. Filming just wrapped on the third movie of the franchise, and while taking part in the LA press day for New Moon, Kristen Stewart ('Bella Swan') talked about slipping into character for the third time and working with David Slade, yet another director new to the franchise:

"Eclipse is such that, just like New Moon, it sort of starts and becomes a completely new movie. Just as soon as you think you're going to get the same story, it's sort all of a sudden that it completely changes. Bella is much more back to herself. She's content now. She's comfortable and self-assured in a way that she wasn't in New Moon. I think what I really love about Eclipse, what was interesting for me to explore, was different levels of love and acknowledging that the ideals that you maybe had a little while ago aren't true. Bella is innately honest. That's something that I feel she is. In Eclipse she lies to herself and she lies to everyone around her about the fact that she's in love with Jacob, just not as much. It's not that extra thing that you can't really even describe. I loved watching the three of them. I loved playing with the three characters together. There's literally a scene where Edward and Jacob, who are mortal enemies, are in a tent with a sleeping Bella in between them. It's a ridiculous circumstance to find yourself in."

Stewart added, "We had so much to work with. Then the effects as well were even more. There's a big battle that happens and that was more than we had to deal with on New Moon. So it was cool. I've always gotten to do things for really short periods of time. To follow a character this long surprises me every time. I can't wait to do the fourth one because I'm sure that I'm going to come in and say that everything I said this time was wrong, that I actually know Bella more now. And actually we have such established dynamics. The way that I know Bella deals with Edward, you sort of can't mess with that. I know how she deals with him. I know how she deals with Jacob. I know how she deals with Charlie, her dad, and to have people come in and help that process out is only cooler. You always get a different perspective. So working with David [Slade] was like, 'Okay, let's see what you've got,' because he came up with a lot of stuff that I would've never thought of, and he's quite good at the whole technical aspect of movie-making which is so completely over my head. So I got to feel safe that he had that handled and me and Rob [Pattinson] and Taylor [Lautner] just sort of did our thing."

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Kristen Stewart Reveals Eclipse Details originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 20:20:17.

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Robert Pattinson Says He's Not a Romantic Guy

2009-11-07T18:45:47Z

Robert Pattinson's never had his heart broken the way his character, Edward Cullen, in New Moon breaks Bella's heart. And the British heartthrob admitted at the film's LA press day that thus far he hasn't been the most romantic guy around. "I haven't done that many romantic things, in my life," said Pattinson, laughing. "I actually can't think of a single romantic thing I've ever done. That's terrible!"

Pattinson hasn't even taken advantage of his vocal skills to serenade a woman. "Oh, no! I don't think that would ever be romantic," said Pattinson. "You need to have so much balls to do that. Jesus Christ!"

But he did once give a girl a flower with disastrous results. "I put a flower in someone's locker when I was 15 years old. This girl, called Maria...maybe I was 14. She actually thought it was from someone else, and the other guy claimed it as well, which was just great."

However, Pattinson had no problem tackling the romantic scenes in New Moon. When asked what goes through his head while filming them, Pattinson replied, "It's weird. I keep getting told by people, 'Pump up all the stuff about the action so the guys will go and see it,' but it's ridiculous. It's like saying that guys can't appreciate romance. I don't think you can say that about Gone with the Wind. I've watched Titanic and I didn't think, 'Oh, this is a girl's film.' Especially in New Moon, and actually in the whole series, I've never played it thinking, 'Oh, I'm in a series of girls' films and I'm doing something just for girls.' I don't feel like I'm doing an animated Tiger Beat every week. I like doing romantic scenes. I felt like a lot of the storyline in New Moon is very heartbreaking and true. I didn't think I was doing something, just for the sake of romance. I thought, in a lot of ways, that it was a really sad story."

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Robert Pattinson Says He's Not a Romantic Guy originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 18:45:47.

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Kellan Lutz Talks Nightmare on Elm Street

2009-11-07T17:38:10Z

Kellan Lutz ('Emmett Cullen') spent his downtime between Twilight films New Moon and Eclipse working on the new A Nightmare on Elm Street film. Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) takes over the role of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund portrayed the killer in all the previous films) and Lutz plays Dean, one of the people Freddy terrorizes, in this new, revamped take on the decades-old horror franchise.

Although the LA press day for New Moon was focused 99.9% of the time on all things Twilight, A Nightmare on Elm Street came up during the press conference Lutz was a part of. When asked about the dream sequences and what audiences can expect from the 2010 film, Lutz joked that his character actually becomes the steel-gloved killer.

"It's great. I kill Jackie Earle Haley and take away his glove and sweater -- the sweater itches," said Lutz, laughing. "No. You know what? It's such a blessing to be a part of something that for me, I grew up with. And a lot of things scared me growing up - mainly my brothers picking on me. But as far as Jason or Chucky, I had a Chucky doll, like those things didn't scare me. But Freddy Krueger, there's something... It's this psychological thriller that can take you in your dreams, you know? It's something that you can't physically take care of on your own. You know, working with Platinum Dunes guys, I mean, Brad Fuller, and Andrew [Form], they're great. And to work with Sam [Bayer], the director. And then the great cast: Thomas Dekker was always pumped on Red Bull every day, [Rooney] Mara's great, Kate Cassidy has been a great friend of mine forever. And meeting Michael Bay was so cool."

"So, it's really cool to be a part of something that now, since all our minds are so corrupted with blood, guts and gore, that this generation, it takes something special to scare our generation now. It's revamped. And where 10 years ago, someone just knocking on the door, you're like 'Oh, w-who is that?' You know, what Nightmare on Elm Street is gonna show, it's scary. If you guys haven't seen the trailer, you know, how it's shot and the things that you will see from the movie will scare you. And it's a great psychological thriller."

Lutz added, "I mean, it's basically it's a revamped version of the first one. But it is different in a lot of aspects. So you know if you like the first one, this is going to be a new somewhat cool spin on it."

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Kellan Lutz Talks Nightmare on Elm Street originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 17:38:10.

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Robert Pattinson vs. Taylor Lautner - Who Would Win?

2009-11-07T17:10:12Z

Team Edward vs. Team Jacob - loyal Twilight fans are divided into two camps and don't budge from supporting either the vampire or the werewolf. And not that we're suggesting the two hunks from the Twilight franchise should ever go at it, but when asked at the New Moon press junket who would win if they ever decided to fight it out, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner had very different opinions on the outcome.

Robert Pattinson laughed his way through his answer concerning the outcome of a fight between his character, Edward Cullen, and Taylor Lautner's character, Jacob Black. "I don't know. I think it's actually a fact that Edward would win, if I read the books correctly. So, I guess I can hold onto that, for my ego."

And if he and Lautner ever exchanged blows, Pattinson thinks he'd come out on the losing end. "I did hear, the other day, that Taylor had agreed to an interview where the interviewer was going to fight him. I don't think I'd ever agree to that. And after looking at Taylor's martial arts videos from when he was like nine, I wouldn't really want to do anything. Maybe if I had some kind of weapon..."

Meanwhile, Lautner was much more analytical with his answer. "Oh man. I don't know between me and Rob. He actually does a lot of boxing in his time off. It might be a good match-up. We were actually discussing this on set, it's funny, like who would win in a fight between Jacob and Edward? Because there's a scene outside Bella's house where Edward grabs my shoulder and Jacob doesn't take that so he takes his arm and rips it off, and that moment Jacob would transform into a wolf. And we're having this discussion, it got really deep, we were like, 'If I were to poof into a wolf right now, what would happen? Who would win?' Our discussion points were we're usually with our pack so if I'm without my pack, am I going to be weaker? Honestly, I don't know. That discussion is still up in the air. We should probably get Stephenie Meyer on the line and ask her."

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Robert Pattinson vs. Taylor Lautner - Who Would Win? originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 17:10:12.

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Robert Pattinson on Breaking Dawn, Unbound Captives and Bel Ami

2009-11-07T16:19:40Z

Lots of interesting little facts came out of the New Moon press junket held Friday, November 6th in LA, and among the little tidbits was an update on the fourth film of the series, Breaking Dawn. While nothing was confirmed by Summit, and no one would address the rumors concerning the possibility of splitting Breaking Dawn into a two-part film (like Warner Bros has done with the last Harry Potter book of the franchise), Robert Pattinson offered up what he's been told: "I think the tentative [start date] for Breaking Dawn is fall of next year. I think. They may well change that."

Pattinson's 2010 schedule is filling up, but the handsome actor who plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight series will definitely make room for Breaking Dawn, no matter how full his dance card winds up being.

"Depending on how things go, I'm doing a movie called Bel Ami in February, which is an adaptation of a Guy de Maupassant novel. And, I hope I'm doing a Western with Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman, called Unbound Captives, sometime around there as well. They've got to try to work around everybody's schedules and stuff," revealed Pattinson when asked what's in store for the coming year.

Unbound Captives is a film project Pattinson seems very enthusiastic about, and fingers crossed production on actress Madeleine Stowe's directorial debut will get underway sometime in 2010. "I'm playing a kid who is kidnapped by the Comanches, when he was four years old, and he's brought up by them. His mother spends her entire life trying to find me and my sister, and when she finds us, we can't remember who she is or anything about the Western culture that we grew up in. They speak Comanche, the whole movie. You can't really be more different from Edward," said Pattinson.

Pattinson, who'll have to learn Comanche for the role, said it wasn't because of the fact his character will be so different from Edward that prompted him to sign on to Unbound Captives. "I actually signed on to that after I had done Twilight, in the summer, just a couple of months after I finished. It was really before anything had happened, so I wasn't really thinking about it. It was just a cool script and it reminded me, in a lot of ways, of Giant, which is one of my favorite movies. I think that's why I responded to it."

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Robert Pattinson on Breaking Dawn, Unbound Captives and Bel Ami originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 16:19:40.

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Disney's A Christmas Carol Movie Review

2009-11-06T12:44:14Z

Don't let the "Disney's" in Disney's A Christmas Carol fool you. This is definitely Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale come to life on the big screen for the umpteenth time. Granted, it's told with performance capture technology for the very first time, but this A Christmas Carol is still Dickens' not Disney's.

Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis remains faithful to the source material throughout the 96 minute film, though I can't remember Dickens ever making Scrooge take a trip down the rabbit hole to emerge a miniature man with a high squeaky voice. I also don't remember Scrooge riding an icicle all over London, skidding down rooftops while trying to evade the Ghost of Christmas Future. But for the most part, Zemeckis delivers a faithful interpretation of Dickens' work in this PG-rated holiday tale. What he misses out on capturing is the spirit of Dickens' story. Read On...

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Disney's A Christmas Carol Movie Review originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:44:14.

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Bradley Cooper Heads to Dark Fields

2009-11-06T03:09:59Z

Bradley Cooper continues to be one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. The 34 year old actor's been working fairly steadily since 2001, but this summer's runaway hit, The Hangover, catapulted him into 'in-demand' status. Now The Hollywood Reporter says Cooper's signed on to yet another project: Dark Fields.

Set up at Relativity Media, Dark Fields is based on the book of the same name by Alan Glynn and tells the story of a struggling writer who gets involved with a new smart drug that produces deadly side effects. Leslie Dixon will be adapting the screenplay. Neil Burger (The Illusionist) is directing.

Cooper will next be seen in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day with Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner, and Jessica Biel. He's currently at work on the big screen version of the classic TV show, The A-Team.
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Bradley Cooper Heads to Dark Fields originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 03:09:59.

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Adam Lambert Interview - 2012 Soundtrack Artist

2009-11-05T14:21:28Z

Season 8 American Idol stand-out (and 2nd place finisher) Adam Lambert has three major projects in the works for the month of November. First up, Lambert will show off his vocal range with "Time for Miracles," a new song that's featured in Columbia Pictures' big action epic, 2012, opening on November 13th. And then on November 23rd his debut album, "For Your Entertainment," hits shelves. Do people say "hits shelves" anymore now that most music is purchased by downloading tracks from iTunes? However you put it, Lambert's got a busy November in store for himself, including an appearance on the American Music Awards on the 22nd.

At the LA premiere of Columbia Pictures' 2012, Lambert talked about handling his first soundtrack tune, American Idol, and more:

Adam Lambert Interview from the 2012 Premiere

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Adam Lambert Interview - 2012 Soundtrack Artist originally appeared on About.com Hollywood Movies on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 14:21:28.

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