Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

New Moon
7/29/09 - Summit Entertainment announced that Bryce Dallas Howard will take over the role of the evil vampire Victoria in the upcoming third Twilight film, Eclipse, replacing Rachel Lefevre, who played the role in the first film and the upcoming New Moon.  The recasting is attributed to a scheduling conflict.  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will start filming in Vancouver, Canada, in August.  Eclipse is based on the third book in Stephenie Meyer's hit book series and will be directed by David Slade from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film will be released June 30, 2010.  "We are incredibly happy that Bryce has agreed to come into the franchise," Erik Feig, Summit's president of worldwide production and acquisitions, said in a statement. "Rachelle brought Victoria to great screen life, and Bryce will bring a new dimension to the character. The franchise is lucky to have such a talented actress as Bryce coming in to fill the role."  In Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob—knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

4/13/09 - Michael Sheen will play a vampire in New Moon, the sequel to Twilight.  Sheen will play Aro, the leader of an Italian vampire clan called the Volturi, whose members also include Dakota Fanning.  Director Chris Weitz confirmed Sheen's casting and said he had "aggressively" pursued the actor. He described the character as head of all vampires, very gracious and friendly, but a tremendous threat beneath it all.  Sheen joins a cast that includes Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Fanning, Nikki Reed, Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon, Tyson Houseman and Jamie Campbell-Bower.  New Moon, based on the second of Stephenie Meyer's hit novels, is in production with an eye to a Nov. 20 release.

1/26/09 - Dakota Fanning said she's talking about taking on the role of an aristocratic vampire in the upcoming Twilight sequel New Moon.  "I really hope it will work out," Fanning said. "We'll see. It would be really fun to be a part of that."  Fanning is a fan of the book series and was reading it before being offered the part. "I haven't read all four yet," she said. "I'm definitely a fan. I'm a big fan of the actors in the film, and to be a part of that would be a great privilege."  The character of Jane is a Volturi vampire from Italy with a twin brother named Alec. She is described as having an "angelic" face. There's no word yet on who might fill the role of the brother if Fanning does land the role. New Moon is slated to begin filming in the next few weeks for a Nov. 20 release.

1/12/09 – SCIFI Wire reported that Edi Gathegi, who will reprise the role of Laurent in the upcoming Twilight sequel New Moon, said that he's glad Taylor Lautner managed to keep his job as Jacob.  "Yeah, I'm very happy with Taylor," Gathegi said. "I was with him last night. I always believed in that kid, because it didn't make sense to me why they wouldn't think that he can play it, the fans or whoever. Also, it's a misconception. He's always, he was signed on, just like we all were, for all of them, or for the movies that we're supposed to be in. So he's playing it, obviously."

1/8/09 - Variety reported that Taylor Lautner will reprise the role of Native American werewolf Jacob Black in Summit Entertainment's Twilight sequel New Moon.  Summit and New Moon director Chris Weitz made the announcement Wednesday that Lautner would join returning castmates Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the second installment of the vampire franchise, based on Stephenie Meyer's hit books.  In New Moon, Jacob Black becomes a central figure as Bella Swan (Stewart) is drawn into the world of the werewolves, the ancestral enemies of vampires.  Weitz acknowledged the speculation about whether Lautner could portray the character, who goes through many changes physically, including growing taller and bulkier and aging 10 years. The 16-year-old Lautner has been spending time in the gym, trying to add 19 pounds of muscle. Weitz added that Lautner is "emotionally right for the part.”  New Moon set to begin production soon for a Nov. 20 release.

12/18/08 - There are reports that Summit Entertainment may be recasting the role of Native American werewolf Jacob Black for the Twilight sequel New Moon, played by Taylor Lautner in the first movie.  Entertainment Weekly reported that Lautner's agent has reached out to one of the visual-effects companies that worked on Brad Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in order to show New Moon director Chris Weitz and Summit how visual effects could create a digitally bulked-up Lautner, suggesting a possible casting change was based on Lautner's physique.  "I'm trying not to think about it, not getting my hopes up yet," Lautner said. "I mean, anything can happen. But, yes, the buzz behind this is unreal and just the amp coming up to the movie."  Many fans support Lautner's casting. Summit is quick to say that casting for the character has not been decided.

12/16/08 - E! Online reported that New Moon--the sequel to Twilight--will get a Nov. 20, 2009, release date.  Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) was previously announced as the director of the sequel, which is also based on a book by Stephenie Meyer. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are expected to return as Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.

12/8/08 - Summit Entertainment confirmed that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke would not be asked to helm the expected sequel film, New Moon.  No new director was named. Twilight has taken in $138.5 million domestically so far, making Hardwicke one of the few female directors to launch a successful franchise.  "Catherine did an incredible job in helping us to launch the Twilight franchise, and we thank her for all of her efforts and we very much hope to work with her on future Summit projects," Erik Feig, Summit's president of production, said in a statement. "We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created. We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch."

AlienAlmanac.com 2008