Nikki Finke from Deadline Hollywood was the first to report the Catherine Hardwicke news–and her insider tips most likely sped up the announcement:

So the rumors are true. I’ve confirmed that Summit Entertainment has rejected Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke from heming the sequel in this big new franchise. No doubt my news will speed up the studio’s announcement, and Summit will surely spin this as all going down amicably along the lines that “she couldn’t fit the film into her time frame”. (Summit does want a ridiculously speeded-up sked for the next installment.) But this terrible news for Hardwicke comes just as she and the Twilight cast are on their European press tour. Tomorrow’s interviews in France will now focus entirely on what, if anything, Catherine did to deserve this treatment.

One wonders exactly why Hardwicke was canned, when Finke notes such unsavory details such as–

The word from inside Summit is that Hardwicke, the acclaimed Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown and The Nativity Story director, “was ‘difficult’ and ‘irrational’ during the making of Twilight,” one insider explains to me.

I’m told that the studio has even had quiet talks with other CAA directors for the last week. “And Swofford never told Hardwicke about that and that she was about to get kicked to the gutter,” an insider tells me. “To add insult to injury, Hardwicke can now look forward to being grilled by the press for days on end, in front of the cast, about why she’s getting shit-canned.” Adds another source: “Catherine is the consummate professional so she’s continuing the press tour.”  

My take? I really doubt a male director would be called “difficult” and “irrational”. It’s the same mindset that makes people call strong women in the public eye like Hillary Clinton the b-word.

Hardwicke Nixed For ‘Twilight’ Sequel; Summit Looks For ‘New Moon’ Director

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Here is the official statement prepared by Summit Entertainment concerning Hardwicke’s departure from the Twilight sequel:

Summit Entertainment and director Catherine Hardwicke jointly announced today that the filmmaker will not be directing the next installment in the newly minted Twilight film franchise. Summit’s targeted end of 2009 or early 2010 release of the film, New Moon, does not work with Ms. Hardwicke’s required prep time to bring her vision of the film to the big screen. Thus as has been done before with many successful film franchises, the studio will employ a new director for New Moon.

“I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon,” said Hardwicke. “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.”

“Catherine did an incredible job in helping us to launch the Twilight franchise and we thank her for all of her efforts and we very much hope to work with her on future Summit projects,” said Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production. “We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created. We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch.”

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Well, we kind of saw it coming. The Twilight Movie crew has been cagey in interviews about who will be behind the next movie, and ironically the huge box office results turned out to be bad news for director Catherine Hardwicke. The fans may have been happy, but the critics were not, and thus Hardwicke will be replaced for the big-budget sequel to Twilight. Reuters reports that–

Hardwicke had until recently been thought a candidate to direct the sequel, titled “New Moon,” but word began to circulate in the industry that her relationship with series producer Summit Entertainment has not always been smooth.

On Sunday, Summit confirmed that Hardwicke would not direct the film, saying in a statement that its plans to release the film in late 2009 or early 2010 did not mesh with Hardwicke’s required prep time.

The picture, whose start date has not yet been set, will nontheless reunite writer Melissa Rosenberg and actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Summit has not named a new director, but it is likely to want to move relatively quickly on the sequel after the original earned nearly $139 million in three weeks of release.

Hardwicke had initially been considered a bold choice for “Twilight.” She made her name with indie breakout “Thirteen” and also directed the period religious tale “The Nativity Story.” The combination proved winning, though, as the midrange-budgeted “Twilight” became one of the fall’s biggest hits.

So is this good news or bad news for the series? As we mentioned recently, there are several other female directors that would be perfect for the New Moon movie .

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