“What makes me nervous is talking about the movie and talking to people and hoping that I don’t really piss people off. Because that’s what I tend to do when I do interviews. I really don’t understand it. So that’s what makes me quite nervous. And then people get pissed off BECAUSE I’m nervous, so it’s really a no-win situation.”

“I don’t know if they don’t see how excited I am. They think that I’m unappreciative. I can only do a film if, for whatever reason, I feel so compelled by it that the thought of not doing it and the thought of doing it at the same time makes me want to throw up. I don’t know…they think that I’m very blasé about it. Which is CRAZY! I just don’t get it. I think that they’d rather see me go up and be like ‘EDWARD CULLEN IS SO HOT!’ That’s not what the story is about. I’m not talking about everybody. This is really gonna…oh god. Anytime I say anything it’s gonna be the wrong thing to say.”

SOURCE

“MTV News can confirm that 26-year-old “Scorpion King 2″ actor Michael Copon [pronounced "COPE-on"] is one of several actors Weitz is considering to play the new, larger Jacob Black. A representative for Copon told us that they’re making a full effort to land the high-profile gig. And in a bit of 21st-century self-publicity, the actor has even recently updated his Facebook status with messages like: “Michael Copon [is] in a Twilight Zone!” and “Michael Copon is the older Jacob Black!” Read more

Source: MTV News

That seems to be the thinking at Summit Entertainment, which Monday slotted the film “New Moon” — the sequel to vampire romance “Twilight” — for Friday, Nov. 20. “Twilight” opened with a huge $69.6 million in domestic boxoffice in the Nov. 21 frame this year, and distributors tend to return to the scene of such happy events with future franchise installments.

“Same time, same place,” Summit distribution boss Richie Fay said. “If it’s also the same gross, we’ll be very pleased. Hopefully, we’ll have even better results.” Read more

Source: HollywoodReporter

Source: MTV Movie Blogs

“With the buzz building for these roles, MTV News has confirmed that 27-year-old “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” heartthrob Ben Barnes is throwing his hat into the ring. The actor is already quite popular with the “Twilight” fanbase and shares the same manager as both Copon and “Twilight” star Cam Gigandet. Barnes is believed to be campaigning for the role of Aro, a mind-reading vampire whose “New Moon” encounter with Edward and Bella helps shape their destiny together.” Read Article

Source: VH1.com

“It’s true that Mr. Weitz has been involved with several adaptions. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 (along with his brother, Paul, and writer Peter Hedges) for the adaptation of Nick Hornby’s About a Boy. At the time, some felt that the movie was nominated by mistake: Fox News’ Roger Friedman speculated that, “Academy voters got confused between About Schmidt and About a Boy when they were picking Best Adapted Screenplay nominees?” While not an adaptation, Mr. Weitz’s co-directorial debut, American Pie, was in its own way a cinematic tribute to Philip Roth, seeing as how co-star Jason Bigg’s ode to the love that dare not bake its name was a lot closer to the spirit of Mr. Roth’s Alexander Portnoy than Richard Benjamin’s whiny portrayal of the character in Ernest Lehman’s 1972 adaptation.

Mr. Weitz’s biggest—and most controversial—adaptation came last year when he directed a film based on another beloved fantasy book series, Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass. For his efforts on that film, Mr. Weitz was criticized by fans and taken to task in a pointed Atlantic article from December 2007 by Hanna Rosin.

The article, headlined How Hollywood Saved God, detailed the challenges of adapting a book that has such an intense, protective group of fans and that’s laced with the sort of anti-regilous sentiment Hollywood fears handling. ” Read More.

SOURCE: The New York Observer

“Well, of course, you’re bummed,” he told Usmagazine.com over the weekend at the Z100 Jingle Ball 2008 concert in NYC. “Catherine hired me for the movie, and I had a great time with her, and I would have loved her to do the second one.” Read More

Photo Credit: Isaac Brekken/WireImage.com
Source: UsMagazine

“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.”

See Fansite reactions here.

From L to R: Michael Copon, Steven Strait and Taylor Lautner

• He played “Felix Taggaro” in One Tree Hill. He is basically Brooke Davis’ booty call.
• Is half-Filipino.
• Height 6′ 1″

Steven Strait

• The original Fan’s Choice for Jacob until they casted Taylor Lautner
• Best known for his role as Warren Peace in Sky High and Caleb Danvers in The Covenant
• Lead singer of the band Tribe, which just got its first record deal, and will record its debut album in 2005.
• Did all his own stunts in the movie ‘The Covenant’.
• Height 6′ 2″

Taylor Lautner

• He played Jacob Black in Twilight. But because of Jacob’s growth spurt, the studio’s having second thoughts of hiring him for New Moon.
• Is a keen martial artist who, from the age of seven, has won many karate tournaments on a local, national and international level.
• Height 5′ 9″