December 17, 2008

'New Moon' Release Date Set: Your Next 'Twilight' Fix Arrives November 20

By Gil Kaufman (MTV.com)

The body's not even cold on the first Twilight movie, but producers have already hired a new director, Chris Weitz, for New Moon and slotted the release date for the sequel.

The second movie based on the vampire series by Stephenie Meyer will hit theaters on November 20, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Perhaps they're superstitious, but that's almost exactly a year to the day after Twilight opened.

"Same time, same place," said Richie Fay, the distribution head for Summit Entertainment. "If it's also the same gross, we'll be very pleased. Hopefully, we'll have even better results."

Twilight opened with nearly $70 million on its first weekend, and while Summit was quick to promise a sequel just days into the movie's run, it also rapidly broke ties with the original film's director, Catherine Hardwicke.

American Pie director Weitz - who was behind the controversial 2007 Nicole Kidman-starring adaptation of The Golden Compass - will have some stiff competition when New Moon opens next year. According to the Reporter, that pre-Thanksgiving weekend will also see the bows of the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., the animated flick Planet 51 and a Three Stooges movie being directed by the Farrelly brothers.

With a release date and director now officially set, Twilighters' attention will now turn to casting. While principals Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are committed to return for the sequel, much mystery surrounds Taylor Lautner and whether the young actor will reprise his role as the shape-shifting teen Jacob. There are strong indications that the studio is considering re-casting the role for New Moon.