Twilight Director Backs Out of Sequel

Ironically in the wake of great success, the future of the Twilight film series seems unstable. American director, Catherine Hardwicke, has dropped out from the sequel, New Moon, scheduled to release in early 2010. The director claims that the timeframe would not provide enough flexibility, in her opinion, to create a quality product. "I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon," said Hardwicke in a statement. Erik Feig of Summit Entertainment responds that the production company had a mandate to release the films in a "timely fashion." He states that because the book was already so wildly successful, they do not have to spend a lot of time tweaking the story line. The fantastical love story between Edward and Bella, a vampire and the teenager who fell in love with him, set new records in the U.S. as the largest grossing film directed by a woman in its opening weekend. Hardwicke, who is known for her other films, Thirteen and The Nativity Story, wishes Summit her best with New Moon, stating that it is a "great story." No replacement has been found as of yet, and the start of filming for the sequel is still pending.