Archive for Bill Condon

Breaking Dawn Part 1 On Track To Be Highest-Grossing Twilight Pic

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was beloved by fans for a lot of reasons: the wedding, the honeymoon, the honeymoon, the honeymoon, and a whole lot of drama and blood and guts at the end. But it was still lagging behind its older Twilight siblings in box office numbers. New Moon had a bigger opening weekend ($142.8 million vs. $138.1 million), and both Eclipse and New Moon had bigger overall domestic box office grosses (Eclipse raked in $300.5 million, New Moon $296.6 million, Breaking Dawn Part 1 $280.3 million), according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

But per Deadline, Summit announced that the global box-office gross for the fourth flick is $701.3 million so far, and once the final tallies are in, including the receipts from China and Japan, it will top New Moon’s $709.8 million worldwide gross. So is that a big vote for Bill Condon from the international audience? Does it reflect the gradual growth of Twilight fandom over the years (we imagine young kids catching onto their older sisters’ enthusiasm, friends giving into other friends’ relentless endorsements, etc.)? Is it the lure of Edward and Bella finally doing it? That extra foreign boost usually goes to big, explosive action movies that don’t need a whole lot of translation, and Eclipse was the movie with all the big battle scenes, so we’re curious about this number. Share your theories in the comments and on Twitter! And while you’re at it, let us know what you’re excited to rewatch when Part 1 comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 11.

[Photo: Summit Entertainment]

Breaking Dawn Star Nikki Reed Returns To Screenwriting Roots

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Breaking Dawn Part 1 didn’t quite bring in as much box-office cash as the biggest Twilight movie so far, New Moon, but its $139.5 million opening places it at #5 of the all-time biggest debuts. It’s hard to remember that this mega franchise comes from humble indie roots — but one of the biggest reminders of that is how some of the stars are planning their post-Twilight futures.

Take Nikki Reed, for example. The actress who first came to Hollywood’s attention as the 13-year-old co-writer and co-star of Catherine Hardwicke‘s Thirteen wants to return to her first passion, writing.

“I’m working on a screenplay now,” she told TheFABlife last week. “It’s not autobiographical, but it’s based on a distant, distant family member. And I’m writing music with Paul, and I write on my blog all the time. And I’m thinking about a novel idea right now, so writing is probably my number one priority.”

After all the kerfuffle over Nikki’s quote in Seventeen magazine about not being best friends with the entire cast, we asked which co-stars and directors she’s dying to work with again.

All of them for different reasons. Right now I’m such a huge fan of Bill Condon‘s, that’s right there in the forefront of my mind. He’s so talented. I was a fan of his long before the series. But all of them for different reasons — Chris Weitz is so talented, David Slade, Catherine Hardwicke who I’ve worked with numerous times. Being in Breaking Dawn and having so many great scenes to work on with Kristen was so great. She and I have been close for many years. It was really exciting to be able to do that with her. And Elizabeth Reaser and Michael Sheen. It’s like, gosh, I don’t know. There is not one!”

Robert Pattinson Inspired Scene In Breaking Dawn, Director Says

[Spoiler Alert! Bill Condon talks about a scene in Breaking Dawn: Part 1 below. Read at your own risk.]

Robert Pattinson was influential in inspiring an important scene in Breaking Dawn: Part 1, says director Bill Condon. “I met with Rob a couple of months before we started,” Condon told us last week at the film’s Los Angeles press junket. “And we were having a general talk about everything about Twilight. He mentioned something that I hadn’t known before: one thing he’d been playing through out those first three movies [as Edward Cullen] was a man who was filled with regret, self-loathing.”

Pattinson’s inspiration, said Condon, grew from Stephenie Meyer‘s unfinished book Midnight Sun, which details Edward’s decision to dabble in killing humans in the ’30s. Condon explains: “[Edward] realized he’d turned into a monster, and it was something that really weighed on him. Now he’d been playing with that across three movies, but it was barely mentioned in those movies. I went back and worked with [screenwriter] Melissa Rosenberg and we put that into the beginning of the movie. So you understood where Edward was coming from and then you were able to watch him shed that because the person he cared most about said, ‘OK, I see that but I accept you anyway,’ and then he’s able to accept himself.

“So much stuff comes out of working with the actors,” added the director. We’ve seen the scene Condon is referring to and we love that it grew entirely from Rob’s research and relationship with Edward Cullen. We can’t wait to hear what other fans think!

[Photo: Getty Images]

Every Breaking Dawn Sex Scene Quote We Can Find

This job can be very difficult sometimes. We practically need to file for worker’s comp after this one: We’ve gathered every quote we could — from Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and a couple of special guests — about the Breaking Dawn sex scenes. Beginning with the latest, from KStew in her cover story for Glamour U.K.:

“It was so weird, it didn’t even feel like we were doing a Twilight film. I was like, ‘Bella! What are you doing? Wow! What is happening here?! It was very surreal. We [originally] got rated R. They re-cut it.” — Kristen in Glamour U.K.

“You just get lubed up and jump right into it! Everyone always says it about sex scenes in movies — it’s really awkward and blah, blah, blah — but it is! You’re playing Twister.” Robert to MTV News
(more…)

What Is Edward Cullen Looking At In The EW Breaking Dawn Cover Pic?

What’s that awful, high-pitched sound, you ask? Why it’s your FABlife team squeeing in unison over the new Entertainment Weekly that just came out today. Because, as many of you have noted on Twitter: we are fangirls. We love this image for many reasons — the gorgeous couple is wet, Bella’s making her best f*ck me face, her hair looks real, there is wedding ring action. The accompanying interview is even better; Rob and Kristen “shush” each other like an old married couple and they seem energized by the project and director Bill Condon‘s enthusiasm for the film and the creative process. (Yep, we fangirl Condon too.)

But we’re particularly intrigued by Edward’s face of fear on the cover. While Bella looks like she’s about to lay some sexy smack down, Edward looks paralyzed with terror (sexy terror, we should add). So what exactly happened to elicit such a reaction from the 108-year-old vampire? We’ve got our guesses below. What are yours?

Mike Newton showed up to test out some gear from his family’s camping store.
Bella whispered in his ear that she’s into BDSM and wants to tie him up.
A really delicious-looking deer pranced over to sip water at the edge of the falls.
Someone played him Rebecca Black‘s “Friday” video for the first time.
Esme just called to tell him that the headboard in the master bedroom is a family heirloom and realllllly important to her.

[Photo: EntertainmentWeekly]

Kristen Stewart: Breaking Dawn Wedding Scene Felt “Emotional”

Even though Breaking Dawn just wrapped shooting, the madness surrounding the film has barely begun. We won’t be seeing the movie until November, but Entertainment Weekly has already revealed their latest Twilight covers. The photos are pretty straight forward, one features Edward and Bella (Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) kissing foreheads, the other shows Jacob (Taylor Lautner) giving the camera his wolfiest Blue Steel. What’s most interesting, surely, is the story inside, in which we learn a bit more about some of the major moments in the film. You know: wedding, Brazil bone sesh, crazy clawing baby blood-fest, in that order.

First up, Kristen talks about her fake big day: “It was one of the coolest things that I’ve done. There was a certain point when I walked on set, and I saw everyone from the entire cast sitting there in the pews, about to do their bit. And it was just so perfect for me in that moment. It was so emotional in such a real way. I literally felt like thanking them for coming.” Yeah, we know it’s adorable because she and Rob are doing kissy things in public, but it’s even sweeter thinking of the entire cast coming together like that at the end of three years of making movies together. Tears, shed.

As for the honeymoon cherry-popping and the vampire birth, director Bill Condon says, “We shot everything — whether it’s the lovemaking or the childbirth — as potent and powerful as it can be.” HELLS TO THE YES.

To say we’re excited for Breaking Dawn would be the greatest understatement known to mankind. And the best part? All the good stuff happens in the first movie! Which means the second half of Breaking Dawn is just gonna be Stephenie Meyer sitting in a chair explaining for 2 hours how she came up with the concept of “imprinting,” right?

[Photos: Entertainment Weekly]

The First Softly-Lit and Sexy Breaking Dawn Still Is Here

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Forget Prince William and Kate Middleton, the most anticipated wedding this year belongs to Edward and Bella. That’s because it means the Twilight couple will finally get to consummate their relationship with lusty, pillow-biting sex. And Entertainment Weekly has the first still image from their time on Isle Esme. So tender. So well-lit. So vampire-impregnating. It’s everything we hoped for. Director Bill Condon told EW “It’s one of the most anticipated scenes. I spent a tremendous amount of time thinking about it. The anticipation is part of it and you want to play with what people expect and maybe subvert it a little and surprise them.” No doubt there’s anticipation, but as for surprise…maybe the surprise will be just what movies are in Edward’s glorious and extensive DVD collection.

[Photo: ROBsessed]

Can Director Bill Condon Handle Breaking Dawn Sex Scenes?

breaking-dawn

It’s official: Bill Condon will direct the final Twilight Saga movie(s?), Breaking Dawn. The guy’s got a solid resume: he directed Dreamgirls and Kinsey and is also an Oscar-winning screenwriter (he won for Gods and Monsters, was nominated for Chicago). Impressive, yes – but can he handle the vampire f*ck-fest/violent stomach-tearing vampire birth/creepy Jacob-Renesmee love affair that is Breaking Dawn? (Er, spoiler alert.)

What do you think about the latest directorial choice, Twi-hards? Did you want Summit to bring back Catherine Hardwick, Chris Weitz or David Slade instead? Will Condon click with his romantically linked stars, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson? Most importantly, will he give us the R-rated sex scenes we so desperately want to see?! (Don’t lie, you know you want to see them in all their bed-splitting glory too.)

[Photo: GettyImages]

Producers Seek Oscar-Nominated Directors For Breaking Dawn

Ed and Bella

The Twilight series may be enjoying massive commercial success and enjoy a rabidly devotional cult, but there’s still one thing it’s failed to achieve: prestige! According to some hot gossip from EW, Summit Entertainment is trying to rope an Oscar-nominated director to classy up their adaptation of the final book, Breaking Dawn, which will likely be split into two movies. Among those mentioned were Milk director Gus Van Sant, Lost In Translation‘s Sofia Coppola and Showgirls‘ Bill Condon, with Van Sant confirming he had been contacted.

Anyone who’s read (or even just read about) the final Twilight novel knows how far it steps from the Pacific Northwest vamp romance of the first book, with one heck of a birthing scene in store for Kristen Stewart and some seriously creepazoid activity from Taylor Lautner‘s Jacob. Judging from their decision to contact Coppola and Condon rather than hailed horror-heads like David Cronenberg or David Lynch (both of whom have respectively delivered monster babies in The Fly and Eraserhead), the producers may be looking for someone who can make this gothic garishness as pretty as possible…and not scare away those who came for romance. With shooting planned for this Fall, it shouldn’t be long before we get a name.

[Photo: Summit Entertainment]