Actor Robert Pattinson joins cast of Twilight for Summit Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA December 11, 2007 – Summit Entertainment announced today that Robert Pattinson will star as “Edward” in the highly anticipated feature film production TWILIGHT opposite Kristen Stewart. The thriller-romance, based on Stephenie Meyer’s publishing phenomenon, is slated to begin production in February 2008 with Catherine Hardwicke directing a script by Melissa Rosenberg (STEP UP). Karen Rosenfelt (DEVIL WEARS PRADA) and Greg Mooradian will produce along with Mark Morgan via his Maverick Films banner.

Erik Feig, Summit Entertainment’s President of Production, stated, “It's always a challenge to find the right actor for a part that has lived so vividly in the imaginations of readers but we took the responsibility seriously and are confident, with Rob Pattinson, that we have found the perfect Edward for our Bella in TWILIGHT.”

Robert Pattinson most recently starred in LITTLE ASHES as the young Salvador Dali. Pattinson is best known for his role as Cedric Diggory in the recent box office successes HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.

***A note from Stephenie about the casting of Robert Pattinson:

I am ecstatic with Summit's choice for Edward. There are very few actors who can look both dangerous and beautiful at the same time, and even fewer who I can picture in my head as Edward. Robert Pattinson is going to be amazing.

***November 24, 2007 Update***

Summit Entertainment now lists Twilight as being pre-production on their website.

***November 16, 2007 Update*** (Official Press Release)

Kristen Stewart to star in Twilight

Photo by Paul Jasmin

Los Angeles, CA November 16, 2007 – Summit Entertainment announced today that Kristen Stewart will star as “Bella Swan” in the production of the feature film TWILIGHT, the thriller-romance based on Stephenie Meyer’s publishing phenomenon. The film, which begins production February 2008, will be directed by Catherine Hardwicke, with Melissa Rosenberg (STEP UP) having adapted the script. Karen Rosenfelt (DEVIL WEARS PRADA) and Greg Mooradian will produce along with Mark Morgan via his Maverick Films banner.

TWILIGHT tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together…even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward’s nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella.

Erik Feig, Summit Entertainment’s President of Production stated, “We at Summit are truly excited about the franchise potential of this remarkable Romeo and Juliet story. Of course, you are only as good as your Juliet and Kristen Stewart has that magical combination of being a great actress, deeply appealing, and perfect for the part.”

Meyer’s Twilight is a cultural phenomenon, hitting legions of readers of all ages, that has spawned two sequels including New Moon and Eclipse. Twilight is a #1 New York Times Best Seller and has been lauded by critics. Twilight’s recent sequel Eclipse most recently debuted at #1 on the USA Today bestseller list unseating the newest Harry Potter.

Erik Feig along with Summit Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Production, Geoff Shaevitz, and Creative Executive Gillian Bohrer will oversee the project for the studio.

Kristen Stewart was introduced to worldwide audiences with her outstanding performance alongside Jodie Foster in PANIC ROOM. Stewart can now be seen in INTO THE WILD for director Sean Penn. She is currently shooting the female lead role in ADVENTURELAND opposite Ryan Reynolds and Jesse Eisenberg for director Greg Mottola. She will soon be seen in a starring role in the independent film THE CAKE EATERS for director Mary Stuart Masterson, the independent film YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF alongside William Hurt and Maria Bello and a supporting role in WHAT JUST HAPPENED alongside Robert De Niro and Sean Penn for director Barry Levinson.

Stewart’s additional film credits include IN THE LAND OF WOMEN, THE MESSENGERS, ZATHURA, SPEAK, FIERCE PEOPLE, CATCH THAT KID, UNDERTOW, COLD CREEK MANOR and THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS.

Stewart is represented by The Gersh Agency and lawyer Joel McKuin at Colden McKuin & Frankel.

Karen Barna, Summit’s Director of Business Affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of the studio.

About Summit Entertainment LLC

Summit Entertainment is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment, LLC also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product. Summit Entertainment, LLC plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

***A note from Stephenie about the casting of Kristen Stewart:

I'm very excited to have Kristen Stewart play Bella in the upcoming Twilight movie. She's an amazing actress with experience all across the board—action, horror, comedy, romance, and more. Since Twilight has moments that fit into every one of these genres, I'm thrilled to have a Bella who has practice with them all.

Summit's vision of the Twilight movie continues to dovetail very closely with mine, and I'm comforted to know that my "baby" is in the right hands.

For every actress that has been suggested as Bella in the past few years, there are always a slew of critics that cry, "But she doesn't look like Bella!" (Which can often be translated thusly: "She doesn't look like ME!") To this I would like to say: "Of course she doesn't!" Bella is a fictional character, and she looks different to everyone. As is the same with every actor who will be cast in the next few months, no one is going to match up with your mental picture exactly—or mine. The thing to hope for is a really great actor who can make us believe she is Bella (or Alice or so forth) for roughly two hours. I think we've got that with Kristen Stewart, and I can't wait to see her step into the role!

Stephenie

***September 26, 2007 Update***

Catherine Hardwicke, director of the forth-coming Twilight movie, recently visited the Forks area with her team. Here are links to two articles about the scouting trip:
Forks Forum and Peninsula Daily News

And while we are posting interesting links, both Twilight (the movie) and Stephenie were recently added to IMDb.com (Internet Movie Database). Here are the links:
Twilight and Stephenie Meyer.
While there is still no new information, it is exciting to see them on IMDb and will be more exciting to check updates in the future.

***August 31, 2007 Update***

Things continue to move forward with Summit, and I couldn’t be more pleased. They have officially signed director Catherine Hardwicke and writer Melissa Rosenberg. I had a chance to sit down with Catherine and Melissa and many of the other people involved while I was in L.A. It was a fantastic conversation and they asked all the right questions—I even had a chance to mention a few of my favorite actors. I’m so excited to see what comes next, and I promise to keep you all in the loop when new things happen.

***July 7, 2007 Update***

I am very excited to announce that Twilight has been optioned by Summit Entertainment (http://www.summit-ent.com/). The deal with MTV Film (and friends) lapsed in April, and since that time my agents and I have been negotiating with Summit on a great contract that I think will really protect the story. The people at Summit seem quite enthusiastic about doing Twilight the right way, and I'm looking forward to working with them. The story will be optioned for the next fifteen months, when Summit will have the opportunity to buy the property. I will keep you updated on any developments as soon as I find out about them.

Meanwhile, years have passed, my actors have aged, and I think the time has come to recast the Twilight Movie. (For fun, of course! I still have no say in who gets hired.)

The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward. Henry Cavill is now twenty-four-years-old. Let us have a moment of quiet in which to mourn…

Okay, moving on. I'm not willing to relinquish Henry completely; since I hear that Charlie Hunnam refuses to consider scripts which include vampires, I propose that Henry play Carlisle! (Would Henry dare to find out if blondes DO have more fun??

Then who will play Edward? I don't have the perfect answer. I've seen some nice suggestions, but keep in mind a few reality checks: I'm not considering anyone over 21 (sorry Gaspard Ulliel fans!), or anyone who isn't a real actor (which is terribly sad, considering the beauty of models like Kevin Flamme, Jeremy Dufour, and Thomas Beaudoin; this counts out all the lead singers, too, Gerard Way lovers.).

Realistic options include actors like Tom Sturridge.

And keep a close eye on the rising generation of actors (remember, even best case scenario it will be quite a while before any filming begins)—boys like Logan Lerman who have a lot of pretty potential.

Or, for Jacob, Tyler Posey.

That's as far as I've gotten in my personal recasting. The lexicon has a great forum for suggesting your favorite actors.

Before I go any further, I need to put in a big disclaimer:

*** My opinions on the movie matter to no one. I have no influence on what goes on with the movie at all. No one is going to ask who I think should star in Twilight.***

Disclaimer two:

***As you might infer from the first disclaimer, I cannot get you a part in Twilight. No matter how perfect you are for a role, no one is going to ask me for suggestions. Sorry. If I get any news about open auditions or calls for extras or anything, I will post it here.***

Now that that has been said...just because no one cares about my opinions, doesn't mean I don't have them. So, here are my favorite actors and actresses for the cast of Twilight:

Edward: Indisputably the most difficult character to cast, Edward is also the one that I'm most passionately decided upon. The only actor I've ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is....(drumroll)....

Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill @ imdb.com
Henry Cavill @ pfd.co.uk

(Henry was Albert, the young son in The Count of Monte Cristo.)

Can you see it? I know I can!

Bella: My narrator is actually surprisingly easy—there are several people that I think could do a decent job with Bella, Ellen Page and Danielle Panabaker among others. Right now my favorite choice is Emily Browning, of Lemony Snicket's fame:

Emily Browning @ imdb.com

Just look at those lips! Love her!

Though I would be happy with several possibilities for Bella, I will throw myself off a tall building if they cast some lip synching, popstar-slash-actress in the role. Just FYI.

Carlisle: Second only to Edward on my "passionately decided" list is Carlisle's character. My favorite: Charlie Hunnam. The reason this actor was able to get such a hold on me was his work as the title character in Nicholas Nickleby. He pretty much was Carlisle in that movie.

Charlie Hunnam @ imdb.com

Charlie: There are tiers to the Charlie wish list. At the very top is John C. Reilly, the Oscar winner. Yeah, not likely, I know. But he would be so perfect:

John C. Reilly @ imdb.com

Other options include Vince Vaughn (give it a minute...picture him with a few extra pounds and a receding hair line...can you see it?) and a more likely chance would be Adam LeFevre (I know him as Damon Bradley in Only You).

Alice: The only actress that springs immediately to mind is Rachel Leigh Cook.

Rachel Leigh Cook @ imdb.com

James: Ah, James! This is one of the most fun to cast. I started out leaning toward Joshua Jackson, who could do a fantastic job (and I still love you, Joshua!), but then I saw Cillian Murphy in Batman Begins. Cillian Murphy!!!

Cillian Murphy @ imdb.com

This is the point at which my opinions become less urgent. I'm still up in the air about the rest of them. I did see one actor who caught my eye for an Emmett-type...

Emmett: Daniel Cudmore, X-Men's Colossus.

Daniel Cudmore @ imdb.com

Rosalie: I didn't find an actress that looked like Rosalie to me, but I did find a model...Joanna Krupa. And hey, don't all models want to be actresses?

Laurent: Do you think John Stamos would mind doing a cameo? And Graham Greene seems like a natural for Billy, if Billy's character makes it into the movie...

Thank you everyone for your suggestions about who you would like to see in Twilight! Here are some of your suggestions—the most popular, and the ones that I liked the best:

Most Popular Edward Suggestions: (in order or popularity)

Hayden Christensen
Robert Pattison
Orlando Bloom
Gerard Way

My Favorite Edward Suggestions:
(based on looks alone, rather than acting ability, which is much more important, really. Isn't it wonderful that Henry Cavill can act?)

Mike Vogel

Drew Fuller

Hugh Dancy

Jackson Rathbone

Most Popular Bella Suggestions:

Alexis Bledel
Rachel McAdams
Anna Paquin

My Favorite Bella Suggestion:

Danielle Panabaker (already on my personal list—she was great in Sky High)

Most Popular Jasper Suggestions:

Shawn Ashmore
Ian Somerhold

My Favorite Jasper Suggestions:

Trent Ford

Calum Best

My Favorite Charlie Suggestion:

Dennis Quaid

My Favorite Rosalie Suggestion:

Olivia Wilde

My Favorite Esme Suggestions:

Mary-Louise Parker

Jean Louise Kelly

And finally, I found my favorite Jacob Black, though he's a New Moon - aged Jacob (which means he'd be way, way too old to ever play Jacob if they ever made New Moon into a movie. Sigh. This is sort of what Jacob looks like in my head, though.)

Steven Strait