New Moon aka The Twilight Saga: New Moon

New Moon (also known as The Twilight Saga: New Moon) is an upcoming romantic-fantasy film scheduled for release on November 20, 2009.

It is based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight, which is based on Meyer's previous novel. Directed by Chris Weitz, the film will star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.

Melissa Rosenberg returns as the screenwriter for the film. She handed in a draft of the film script during the opening weekend of Twilight. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight.

Premise
When asked about the sequel, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke stated, "It's got werewolves, it's got visual effects that turn people into werewolves, it's got motorcycle stunts, you go to Italy. It's probably twice as much as this [to film]."

On December 13, 2008, Summit Entertainment released a synopsis of New Moon, which states: "Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested."

Development
In early November 2008, Summit announced that they had attained the rights to the remaining books in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

On November 22, 2008, one day after the theatrical release of Twilight, Summit confirmed that they would begin working on New Moon. "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment," said Meyer. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on New Moon."

Melissa Rosenberg had been working on adapting the novel prior to Twilight's release, and handed in the draft for New Moon during Twilight's opening weekend in November 2008.

The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book —Chris Weitz, director of New Moon

In early December 2008, it was announced that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke would not be returning to direct the sequel. Hardwicke cited time restrictions as the reason behind her leaving the project, saying, "I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon.

Directing Twilight has been one of 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." On December 13, 2008, it was announced that Chris Weitz, director and writer of The Golden Compass and co-director of American Pie, had been hired to direct New Moon.

Regarding being chosen for the project, Weitz said, "I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding New Moon from the page to the screen." star Kristen Stewart spoke positively of the new director, saying, "Chris is like the most genuinely invested guy—he didn't just jump on the bandwagon and be like, 'Ooh, let's get the biggest, most successful movie! I wanna do Twilight 2!' He genuinely likes it, and is entirely involved."

Meyer also spoke on his behalf, saying, "I am very pleased to announce that he's agreed to be a part of our Twilight world. I've had the chance to talk to Chris, and I can tell you that he is excited by the story and eager to keep the movie as close to the book as possible."


Casting
Due to major physical changes that occur in the character of Jacob Black between Twilight and New Moon, Weitz considered replacing Taylor Lautner in the sequel with an actor who could more accurately portray "the new, larger Jacob Black."

In an attempt to keep the role, Lautner stated, "I have been working out. I've been working out since the day we finished filming Twilight. I just weighed myself today; I've put on 19 pounds. I'm guaranteeing Weitz 10 more [pounds] by filming."

In January 2009, Weitz and Summit Entertainment announced that Lautner would continue to play the role of Jacob in New Moon, with Weitz saying, "I'm very happy that Taylor will be playing Jacob Black in New Moon and that he's doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit, the producers and Stephenie Meyer. [...] [It] was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part."

In a recent interview, fellow cast member Kristen Stewart talked about Lautner's transformation saying, "He's an entirely different person physically."

In late March 2009, Summit Entertainment released a list of the actors who would be portraying the "wolf pack" alongside Lautner. The casting for the rest of the Quileute tribe was headed by casting director Rene Haynes, who has worked on films with large Native American casts, such as Dances with Wolves and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. A casting call was also held in Vancouver in February 2009, specifically asking for "any first nations/aboriginal actors and actresses between the ages of 15 and 25".

Talking about the casting of Michael Sheen, director Chris Weitz claims to have "'aggressively' pursued the actor", and describes the character as "on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat."

It has also been revealed that Jamie-Campbell Bower will begin shooting his scenes in June 2009. About being cast as Caius, he said, "I hadn't read the books before. But [the Twilight series is] a great thing to be a part of..."

Filming
Pre-production for New Moon was started in December 2008. Filming was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2009 in Vancouver, but began a few days early. David Thompson Secondary School served as the location for the high school scenes in the movie. Filming in Montepulciano, Italy began in late May 2009.

Music
he score for New Moon is being composed by Alexandre Desplat. He replaces Carter Burwell, who wrote the score for the previous film, Twilight. New Moon director Chris Weitz has a working relationship with Desplat, who scored one of his previous films, The Golden Compass. The band Paramore, who had two songs on the Twilight soundtrack, will not be contributing to the soundtrack for New Moon.