The rumors had been circulating for nearly a week -- really since the moment it became clear that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke wouldn't be handling New Moon. But yesterday the official announcement came that Chris Weitz will direct the adaptation of the second book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga. Below is his letter to fans, followed by the reaction from five of the top Twilight fansites.
Letter from New Moon Director Chris Weitz
Dear fans of Twilight, New Moon, Bella, Edward, and Jacob,
In the past few days I have been involved in a whirlwind romance with Stephenie Meyer's extraordinary books.
And I am very grateful to have received her permission to protect New Moon in its translation from the page to the screen.
For fans of the books and of the film of Twilight, this may come as an unexpected twist. So I want to write briefly to try to put you at ease, and to give you reason to hope for and expect the best.
For the last decade of my career as a director, I have chosen to make adaptations of complex and involved works of literature. This has always begun with the love of a book and its characters, story, and theme; and it has always involved a respect of and responsiveness to the feelings of other people who loved those books.
When I saw the film of Twilight, I was alternately entranced and left hungry for more. I was also struck by the extraordinary passion for the characters, story, and theme that was evident in the people sitting in the seats around me. My job is to live up to that devotion.
Like many of you, I am a fan of Catherine Hardwicke's work. I can't really say much about why she is not doing New Moon because I wasn't involved in those decisions. But I can say that I will devote myself to making the very best and most faithful version of New Moon that can be brought to the screen. To those who doubt that as a male director I can capture Bella's experience, I can only say that emotion is universal and that my work has often involved working with some of the most talented actresses in the world.
For the rest, the proof will have to be in the pudding. But I promise to remain responsive to your hopes and fears.
I thank you for this opportunity and for your faith.
Very best,
Chris Weitz
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Reaction from HisGoldenEyes.com
As fansite moderators, we get to see and interact with hundreds of Twilighters every day. With that comes the chance to see what it is that they truly want. We want someone that will do the book justice, much like Catherine was able to. Chris Weitz seems like the perfect man to, not replace but rather, continue what Catherine started. Besides, if Stephenie Meyer, the queen bee herself, approves of him, who are we to say he isn't good enough?
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Reaction from Twilightlexiconblog.com
New directors are always a crap shoot for franchises. Catherine, on most counts, realistically set up the world of Forks and the Cullens. Chris gets to take over from that foundation. I think Chris is up to the job, if you take About a Boy, a project where he pretty much had total control, it was heartwarming, funny, emotional -- all the things New Moon has to be. So I'm for keeping an open mind, especially now that Stephenie Meyer has given her support.
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Reaction from BellaAndEdward.com
People have said that men can't direct romance ... but The Notebook is proof enough that they can. I hope Chris pays as much attention to detail as Catherine did, and that being faithful to the book remains his first priority. I personally love About A Boy, and I hope that the fans will support him as much as they supported our brilliant director of Twilight. I can't wait to see his interpretation of the world of Bella and Edward, and let's hope that Twilighters have a whirlwind romance with his movie, just as he did with the books.
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Reaction from twilight20somethings.com
I appreciate and respect Catherine's adaptation of Twilight, as well as her love for the fans. She has made quite an impact on the Twilight fandom as a whole. But, with Stephenie's blessing as the torch is passed to Chris Weitz, I have faith that he will be just as devoted to the books. I only hope he can make a seamless jump into New Moon without changing the Forks we have grown to love already.
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Reaction from Newmoonmovie.org
I'm optimistic. Weitz left Golden Compass as director initially because he was worried about disappointing the dedicated His Dark Materials fans. So he's already dealt with a ravenous, tuned-in fanbase that expected a lot for the book-to-movie translation. Twilight is not an effects-packed action story, it's a love story. He'll need to channel his About a Boy sensitive side if he wants to please the fans.
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