Twilight Movies in order (film series), All You Want To Know & Watch Movies
Twilight Movies in order
The Twilight Saga is a series of five vampire-themed romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four novels published by author Stephenie Meyer. The series has grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide. The first installment, Twilight, was released on November 21, 2008. The second installment, New Moon, followed on November 20, 2009, breaking box office records as the biggest midnight screening and opening day in history, grossing an estimated $72.7 million. The third installment, Eclipse, was released on June 30, 2010, and was the first of the series to be released in IMAX.
The series had been in development since 2004 at Paramount Pictures, during which time a screen adaptation of Twilight that differed significantly from the novel was written. Three years later, Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the film.
After Twilight grossed $35.7 million on its opening day, Summit Entertainment announced they would begin production on New Moon; they had acquired the rights to the remaining novels earlier that same month. A two-part adaptation of Breaking Dawn began shooting in November 2010 with release dates of November 18, 2011, and November 16, 2012, respectively.
Development
Twilight was in development for about three years at Paramount Pictures’s MTV Films, during which time a screen adaptation differing significantly from the novel was written. For example, the script transformed Bella into a star athlete. It was so different that Stephenie Meyer worried that she had made the wrong decision in selling the film rights to her novel. She said later, ‘”They could have put that [earlier] movie out, called it something else, and no one would have known it was Twilight!”
When Summit Entertainment reinvented itself as a full-service studio in April 2007, it acquired the rights, seeking to create a film franchise based on the book and its sequels. Erik Feig, President of Production at Summit Entertainment, guaranteed a close adaptation to the book. Meyer felt that Summit was open to letting her be a part of the film.
Catherine Hardwicke was hired to direct the film, and soon afterward, Melissa Rosenberg was hired to write the film. Rosenberg developed an outline by the end of August, then worked on the screenplay with Hardwicke the following month. “She was a great sounding board and had all sorts of brilliant ideas….I’d finish off scenes and send them to her, and get back her notes.” Because of the impending WGA strike, Rosenberg worked full-time to finish the screenplay before October 31.
In adapting the novel for the screen, she “had to condense a great deal”, combining some characters and leaving others out. “[O]ur intent all along was to stay true to the book,” Rosenberg explained, “and it has to do less with adapting it word for word and more with making sure the characters’ arcs and emotional journeys are the same.” Hardwicke suggested using voice over to convey the protagonist’s internal dialogue, since the novel is told from Bella’s point of view; and she sketched some of the storyboards during pre-production.
Hardwicke sought Meyer’s feedback as she developed the movie; for example, the director phoned the author after changing a scene slightly. This surprised Meyer. “I’ve heard the stories…I know it’s not normally like that when you adapt a book.” Meyer, a natural pessimist, was waiting for the worst but, instead, called her experience in the book’s film adaptation “the best I could have hoped for.”
Originally scheduled for release in December 2008, Twilight was moved to a worldwide release of November 21, 2008, after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moved from a November 2008 release to being released in July 2009.
Casting
Kristen Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test, which “captivated” the director. Hardwicke did not initially choose Robert Pattinson for the role of Edward Cullen; but, after an audition at her home with Stewart, he was selected.
Meyer allowed Pattinson to view a manuscript of the unfinished Midnight Sun, which chronicles the events in Twilight from Edward’s point of view. Meyer was “excited” and “ecstatic” in response to the casting of the two main characters. She had expressed interest in having Emily Browning and Henry Cavill cast as Bella and Edward, respectively, prior to pre-production.
Peter Facinelli was not originally cast as Carlisle Cullen: “[Hardwicke] liked [him], but there was another actor that the studio was pushing for.” For unknown reasons, that actor was not able to play the part, and Facinelli was selected in his place. The choice of Ashley Greene to portray Alice Cullen was criticized by some fans because Greene is 7 inches (18 cm) taller than her character as described in the novel. Meyer said that Rachael Leigh Cook resembled her vision of Alice. Nikki Reed, who portrayed Rosalie Hale, had previously worked with Hardwicke on the successful Thirteen (2003), which they co-wrote, and Lords of Dogtown (2005).
Kellan Lutz was in Africa, shooting the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, when the auditions for the character of Emmett Cullen were conducted. The role had already been cast by the time the HBO production ended in December 2007, but the selected actor “fell through.” Lutz subsequently auditioned and was flown to Oregon, where Hardwicke personally chose him.
Rachelle Lefèvre wanted a role in the film because Hardwicke was director; she saw “the potential to explore a character, hopefully, over three films;” and she wanted to portray a vampire. “[She] thought that vampires were basically the best metaphor for human anxiety and questions about being alive.” Christian Serratos initially auditioned for Jessica Stanley, but she “fell totally in love with Angela” after reading the books and took advantage of a later opportunity to audition for Angela Weber. The role of Jessica Stanley went to Anna Kendrick, who got the part after two mix-and-match auditions with various actors.
Because of major physical changes that occur in the character of Jacob Black between Twilight and New Moon, director Chris Weitz considered replacing Taylor Lautner in the sequel with an actor who could more accurately portray “the new, larger Jacob Black.” Trying to keep the role, Lautner worked out extensively and put on 30 lbs. In January 2009, Weitz and Summit Entertainment announced that Lautner would continue as Jacob in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
When they told me Rob was probably the one, I looked him up and thought, “Yeah, he can do a version of Edward. He’s definitely got that vampire thing going on.” And then, when I was on set and I got to watch him go from being Rob to shifting into being Edward and he actually looked like the Edward in my head, it was a really bizarre experience. […] He really had it nailed.
Twilight author Stephenie Meyer
In late March 2009, Summit Entertainment released a list of the actors who would be portraying the “wolf pack” alongside Lautner. The casting for the rest of the Quileute people was headed by casting director Rene Haynes, who has worked on films with large Native American casts, such as Dances with Wolves and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
In mid-2009, it was announced that Bryce Dallas Howard would be replacing Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria for the third Twilight film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Summit Entertainment attributed the change to scheduling conflicts. Lefevre said she was “stunned” and “greatly saddened” by the decision. Jodelle Ferland was cast as the newly turned vampire, Bree. Other new cast members for the third film include Xavier Samuel as Riley, Jack Huston as Royce King II, Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria, Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater, and Booboo Stewart as Seth Clearwater.
Production
Principal photography for Twilight took 44 days, after more than a week of rehearsals, and completed on May 2, 2008. Similar to her directorial debut Thirteen, Hardwicke opted for an extensive use of hand-held cinematography to make the film “feel real”. Meyer visited the production set three times, and was consulted on different aspects of the story; she also has a brief cameo in the film.
To make their bodily movements more elegant, and to get used to their characters’ fighting styles, the cast playing vampires participated in rehearsals with a dance choreographer and observed the physicality of different panthera. Instead of shooting at Forks High School itself, scenes taking place at the school were filmed at Kalama High School and Madison High School. Other scenes were also filmed in St. Helens, Oregon, and Hardwicke conducted some reshooting in Pasadena, California, in August.
In early November 2008, Summit announced that they had obtained the rights to the remaining books in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. On November 22, 2008, one day after the theatrical release of Twilight, Summit confirmed that they would begin working on New Moon. Melissa Rosenberg had been working on adapting the novel prior to Twilight’s release and handed in the draft for New Moon during Twilight‘s opening weekend in November 2008.
In early December 2008, it was announced that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke would not be returning to direct the sequel. Hardwicke cited time restrictions as the reason behind her leaving the project. Instead, Chris Weitz, director of The Golden Compass and co-director of American Pie, was hired to direct The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Filming for New Moon began in Vancouver in late March 2009, and in Montepulciano, Italy, in late May 2009.
In early 2009, before the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Summit confirmed that they would begin production on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Since Weitz would be in post-production for New Moon when The Twilight Saga: Eclipse began shooting, he would not be directing the third film. Instead, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was taken on by director David Slade, with Melissa Rosenberg returning as screenwriter.
Filming began on August 17, 2009 at Vancouver Film Studios and finished in late October, with post-production beginning early the following month. In April 2010, it was revealed that re-shoots of the film were needed. Slade, who previously said he would not be around for them, was seen, along with Stephenie Meyer, on set. The three main stars were also present.
Wyck Godfrey, producer of the previous films in the series, stated in mid-2009 that they had every intention to make the film version of Breaking Dawn. Following months of speculation and cast rumors, it was officially announced on April 28, 2010, that Academy Award winner Bill Condon, who directed Gods and Monsters and Dreamgirls, would direct Breaking Dawn; producing the film will be Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt, and author Stephenie Meyer. “I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen.
As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book – and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience,” said Bill Condon. A November 18, 2011 release date has been set for the first part, while the second is scheduled for release on November 16, 2012.
Following that announcement, Summit officially confirmed that a two-part adaption of the fourth book would start production in the fall on June 11, 2010. With this announcement, it was made clear that all major actors, including the three lead roles, the Cullen family, and Charlie Swan, would return for both parts. Bill Condon was also confirmed to direct both parts.
In order to keep the budget on both parts of Breaking Dawn reasonable, which would be substantially greater than the previous installments in the series, filming in Louisiana was also negotiated, providing larger tax credits for the studio to benefit from.
Films
Twilight (2008)
Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Melissa Rosenberg. It focuses on the development of a personal relationship between teenager Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and the subsequent efforts of Edward and his family to keep Bella safe from a separate group of hostile vampires. Edward refuses to grant Bella’s request to transform her into a vampire so that they can be together forever, arguing that she should have a normal human life.
The film was released theatrically starting on November 21, 2008. It grossed $35.7 million on its opening day, and has come to gross US$393.6 million worldwide. The DVD was released on March 21, 2009 and grossed an additional $238 million from sales. The Blu-ray disc edition of the film was released on March 21, 2009, in select locations, but was made more widely available at further retailers on May 5, 2009, grossing over $26 million; getting to a total of over $264 million in home media sales.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon was directed by Chris Weitz and written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film follows the Cullens’ departure from Forks, and Bella Swan’s fall into a deep depression. This depression persists until Bella develops a strong friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). She consequently discovers that Jacob has unwillingly become a werewolf. Jacob and his tribe must protect Bella from Victoria, and a gregarious herd of vampires. Edward tells Bella that he will change her into a vampire if she agrees to marry him.
The film was released theatrically starting on November 20, 2009, and set numerous records. It was at the time the biggest advance-ticket seller on Fandango and held the biggest midnight opening in domestic (United States and Canada) box office history, grossing an estimated $26.3 million. Its sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, broke that record in June 2010, grossing $72.7 million on its opening day domestically, becoming the biggest single-day opening in domestic history. New Moon is the thirteenth highest opening weekend in domestic history with $142,839,137.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was directed by David Slade and written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film follows Bella Swan as she develops awareness of the possible complications of marrying a vampire. Jacob Black and the rest of the wolves form a temporary alliance with the Cullens to battle Victoria and her army of newborn vampires to keep Bella safe. Jacob unsuccessfully tries to convince Bella to leave Edward and be with him instead. Edward proposes to Bella and she accepts it.
The film was released theatrically starting on June 30, 2010, and is the first Twilight film to be released in IMAX. It set a new record for biggest midnight opening in domestic (United States and Canada) in box office history, grossing an estimated $30 million in over 4,000 theaters. The previous record holder was the previous film in the series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon with $26.3 million in 3,514 theaters. The film then scored the biggest Wednesday opening in domestic history with $68,533,840 beating Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’s $62 million. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has also become the film with the widest release ever, playing in over 4,416 theaters.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn was directed by Bill Condon, and author Stephenie Meyer co-produced the film along with Karen Rosenfelt and Wyck Godfrey, with Melissa Rosenberg penning the script. The book’s plot was split into two films, the first of which was released on November 18, 2011. The filming of Breaking Dawn began in November 2010.
The first part follows Bella and Edward as they get married and Bella becomes pregnant. They deal with her struggle of being pregnant and nearly dying because of her half-human, half-vampire child.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 was released on November 16, 2012.
The second part of Breaking Dawn sees the climax of Bella and Edward’s relationship. Bella must learn, as a newly transformed vampire, to use her special shield powers, as well as protect her half-human half-vampire daughter, Renesmee. The film also shows the final battle between The Cullens, along with vampires from the Denali Clan, and other vampire friends, as well as the wolves from the Quileute Tribe, against The Volturi.
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