Despite being offered a huge sum of money to come onboard, Catherine Hardwicke decided not to direct "Twilight" sequel "New Moon." The director told Entertainment Weekly that she didn't want to make the film under the deadline and budget restraints that would have been placed on her for the follow-up, reports the Associated Press.
She recalls being at dinner with "Twilight" stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Paris when she got the call from Summit Entertainment, which offered her "more money than I or anyone in my family has ever seen."
But, she added that with the payday came tight budget restraints and deadlines. "I was devastated," said Hardwick, who will release her book "Twilight: Director's Notebook" in March. "I really did feel a strong connection to the people around the world that liked the movie, and to Stephenie and the actors. But I just didn't think I could make a good movie under those circumstances."
A spokesperson for Summit Entertainment had no comment about the report. "New Moon," which is due out on November 20, will now be directed by "Golden Compass" director Chris Weitz, and both Pattinson and Stewart will reprise their roles as lovestruck Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.
For "New Moon," Dakota Fanning has been rumored and shown interest in joining the cast as Jane. And it was recently reported that although Vanessa Hudgens auditioned for the part of Leah Clearwater, that character will most likely not appear in "New Moon."
And in a scenario that would surely fulfill many a fan dream, the Jonas Brothers have recently shown interest in having a part on the "New Moon" soundtrack. "The movie was obviously a huge success, and if they asked us to be a part of [the sequel], that would be great," Nick Jonas told MTV News. "That would be really cool," agreed Joe and Kevin about the prospect.
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(AP)
