While Summit Entertainment, the company behind the Twilight films, was keen to get parts 2 and 3 in cinemas as soon as possible, with filming on Eclipse finishing before New Moon was even in cinemas, the producers have been a lot quieter on what was happening with the fourth story, Breaking Dawn, other than saying they were committed to filming it.
Much speculation has arisen that the reason for the tight lips is that behind the scenes they’re planning to split Breaking Dawn into two movies. The LA Times has now spoken to Twilight producer Wyck Godfrey, who says that the likelihood is that Breaking Dawn will shoot this autumn, although he’s rather more coy about whether it will end up as one or two movies.
Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg is currently working on the script, with Godfrey saying that, “It’s a work in process. The issue [of whether there will be one or two movies] is not going to be resolved until we get the full treatment and see whether it’s organic. If it’s not organic, I don’t think it will be done, and if it is, it will be. It really has to do with how much level of detail from the books there is, with all of these new vampires that appear in Breaking Dawn, the whole section about Jacob… It’s a very long single movie if it does become a single movie.”
He also notes that the film will be a lot more effects heavy than earlier instalments, and that Renesmee (SPOILER ALERT: Renesmee is Bella and Edward having a half-human, half-vampire child, which grows rapidly and possesses unsual talents), could end up being a full CG creation, but that they won’t make any decisions on this until later in the process.
As for whether New Moon director Chris Weitz will return for the final film(s), Godfrey says, “I think everyone would be happy and excited if he came back, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.” That’s a shame, as he did a good job with New Moon. All the main actors are contracted to make Breaking Dawn, however they’re only signed up if it’s a single film, and they’d probably have to renegotiate if it does get split in two, which could be very lucrative for Rob Pattinson, Kirsten Stewart and Taylor Lautner.
At the moment it sounds like plans for Breaking Dawn are still at a relatively early stage, but if they want to film in the autumn, things should move rapidly over the coming months.