'Orphanage' Director to Make Third 'Twilight' Film?

We know that Chris Weitz is only directing the second Twilight movie, opening the door for a new filmmaker to take on Eclipse, due to be released next summer. And now the speculation about who that director might be has centered on Orphanage director Juan Antonio Bayona. Bayona is a protege of Guillermo Del Toro, and it's an unconventional pick, especially since one of the names we had heard in the running was Drew Barrymore. It's another sign that Summit Entertainment is trying to create its own little Harry Potter series, bounding from one kind of director to another in successive films. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, "If he does come aboard, the studio would have brought on a female coming-of-age girl director in Catherine Hardwicke for the first Twilight picture, a mainstream Hollywood comedy director in Chris Weitz for sequel New Moon and a genre maven for the third picture." Again, that's if he comes aboard. And the trade also mentions that Weitz' brother, Paul, was rumored to be the choice just a few days ago, so who knows where it's ultimately heading. Stylistically, Bayona is the best fit of any name I've heard being rumored for the project, and an even better selection than Weitz or Hardwicke. Not much could be done about the first film; Summit didn't know what it had at the time. But after Twilight exploded, they rushed to get the second movie off the ground. If they had only waited six months and realized Bayona was an option, perhaps they could have developed some consistency in the second and third movies, giving him the option to direct both.

Comments

[Missing Madstone]

I'd call Weitz a re-bounding big budget bust director. The Twilight franchise will help him lick his Golden Compass wounds...

As for Bayona, I'm guessing that this could really shoot him into the stratosphere as a director. I'm actually more intrigued to see what he does with the series than I am Weitz.

[Lillian James]

I'm more interested in seeing them get a new screenwriter than anything else. Of course, that's not going to happen.