
Summit Entertainment has announced that it will not move forward with director Catherine Hardwicke for the Twilight sequel New Moon. According to Summit's press release, ALLEGEDLY the studio and Hardwicke could not come to terms on a schedule; Summit's plan to release the film at the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010 did not work with the amount of prep time Hardwicke wanted to dedicate to New Moon. Similar to the Harry Potter franchise before it, Summit will now look to hire a new director to helm New Moon.
According to a statement released by Hardwicke, "I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon. Directing Twilight has been one the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel—it is a great story."
Now, rumor on the street is that Summit originally did not want to devote the type of budget to the first flick that Hardwicke recommended and she had to switch up certain scenes to make up for the limited monies. Cough cough...glittering skin. While, we at the Movie Press weren't THAT enthused over Twilight, the thought of a director even less deft than Hardwicke could make New Moon unwatchable.