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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