Nerd World (a Time magazine blog) sat down with New Moon director Chris Weitz recently, to discuss all things New Moon, and how massive the fan base is -

It’s like Beatlemania.

That’s the only thing I can think of, the Beatles. You see old footage of that type of thing. It happened in Montepulciano, when we were shooting there. It was like The Birds, but with young girls. You’d turn a corner and there would be one or two or three. And the next time you looked there would be 10, 20, 50, 100.

Then before you know it gas stations are exploding.

Exactly. I think basically the panel today would have worked perfectly for the fans if it had just been us sitting there, and they could just look at Rob and Taylor. Maybe Rob and Taylor would move a little.

Taylor seems the most comfortable with this level of scrutiny. He doesn’t squirm as much.

It’s funny. In a way he’s the least prepared for the intense scrutiny, but he’s very balanced about it. Whereas I think Rob and Kristen are very sheepish about it. Not that they don’t appreciate it. But they’re thrown a bit by it.

I guess I should ask you about the actual movie. How done is it?

It’s pretty done. It has to be done. It has to come out on November 20. Which means we sort of have to hand it over October 30. Which means the picture has to lock August 30. And so in a few weeks it’ll be locked, the visual effects are in good shape, all the R&D on the more complicated, more ephemeral effects is being completed.How weird was it, stepping into somebody else’s franchise?

It was a bit odd at first. But then again it’s pretty amazing to have a huge fan base just dropped into your lap. And it was a pleasure to be able to deliver faithfully on a book. With Golden Compass I felt that by being faithful to the book I was working at odds with the studio. But Summit understands that it’s Stephenie Meyer’s world, and really it’s about recreating the experience the reader has, in some kind of faithful manner. Creating a picture that doesn’t violate too badly the picture they have in their minds.

I hope there’s sparkling in this one.

There will be lots of sparkling.

Did you read that? LOTS of sparkling. Hopefully they can get it as realistic as a Vampire sparkling in the sun could be!!

You can read the rest of the over 12 minute interview here

Picture brought to you buy NewMoonMovie.org!

[Thanks TSH!]

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According to various Twilight Saga fan sites, they received a email forwarded to them from Summit Entertainment, written by New Moon director Chris Weitz. In the email he advises -

Dear all,

I would like to put everyone’s mind at rest and let them know that the Volturi are not naked! Jamie (Campbell-Bower) has what you might call a dry sense of humor and almost managed to convince me — which is why he’s such a good actor. Anyway, be assured that, even though we do want the look of the Volturi to be a bit of a surprise, they are always — as in the book! — fully clothed.

best,
Chris Weitz

Boourns!

You can view the email source here and here.

[Thanks cclore and TSH!]

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According to FanBolt.com, Robert Pattinson revealed what his favorite scene in New Moon is: The Break Up -

“I think my breakup scene was my favorite scene. I mean, hopefully it’ll come off as having quite a few more levels than the relationship in ‘Twilight’. It was interesting. It was like a five page long dialogue scene. That didn’t happen at all in the first one and it’s quite an interesting little moment. It completely bypasses all the supernatural elements of the story, as well, which I found quite interesting.” Pattinson explained.

I’m looking forward to seeing this on screen. It was extremely well written in the book, and I would love to see it played out. However, I will be well equipped with tissues and wearing water proof mascara!

You can read the article at FanBolt.com

[Thanks TSH!]

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There are several new video interviews from Comic-Con by Collider, including interviews with Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Melissa Rosenberg and director Chris Weitz where they spill new info on New Moon. Above is the interview with Chris Weitz.

Kristen and Taylor discuss -

• Can they prepare themselves for Comic-Con
• Did they see the people camped out for their panel
• Did they think about dressing up and standing with the fans incognito

Check out the interviews with Kristen, Taylor and Melissa Rosenberg after the break. .

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ReelzChannel reports that in an interview with Time, Chris Weitz reveals that there will be no cameo made by The Twilight Saga author, Stephenie Meyer, in New Moon -

he “feel(s) bad about it” and “had kind of forgotten that she had a cameo in the first one [Twilight].”

Whoops! On the scheme of things, not that big of a deal. But it was cool to see Stephenie in Twilight, and kinda disappointing that she won’t appear in New Moon. Although it is rather odd considering she was on set in Vancouver.

Chris Weitz has done an amazing job so far, and I’m sure Stephenie does not mind.

Thoughts?

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Rotten Tomatoes unleashes the Top 10 New Moon Facts released at this years Comic Con in San Diego.

1. Summit Entertainment knows its audience, evidenced by the two scenes they brought to Comic-Con. Whether you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob, there was a shirtless scene for you. Who wanted to see the birthday party scene or the cliff diving scene, when they could get their first peek at Jacob Black hopping valiantly off a bike to strip naked to tend to an almost-drooling Bella? Or watch as Bella raced across Volterra in vain as Edward opened his shirt, stepping into the sunlight? It was such an amazing sight, Bella started running in slow motion.

2. Director Chris Weitz will use a lot of dialogue straight from the book. This was one of the biggest points of contention with the first Twilight, into which screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg had written quotes directly from Meyer’s text — with varying results. (”And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” to which non-fans groaned inwardly.) In both scenes shown at Comic-Con, the majority of dialogue was taken from the pages of New Moon and filmed quite closely to what we imagined.

3. Taylor Lautner is the press-friendly celebrity star that New Moon needed. Compared to his co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Lautner has just the right youthful vigor and enthusiasm (read: he’s not jaded yet) to turn Twilight press events into, well, downright energetic press events. Deposited between Stewart and Pattinson in Thursday’s early morning press conference, Lautner picked up the slack whenever his co-stars trailed off; the kid’s been well prepared. I mean, have you seen that Sharkboy-era dancing video?

4. Kristen Stewart knows that Bella is a head case in New Moon. Critics who thought Bella was unhealthily dependent on Edward in the first Twilight film, or even that his behavior was borderline stalker-ish, will likely seize on her obvious psychological issues in the sequel. When those criticisms come, Stewart’s fully prepared. “This is a severely emotional movie,” she told journalists. “That’s the one big difference. This movie is not about discovery or falling in love, which is sort of just an intense emotion, but this is low and there high points for her, too. She’s a manic depressive, basically.”

5. A year later, Kristen Stewart’s life is just as crazy and her answers just as wry as they were during Twilight. The build-up to the first Twilight film transformed its stars’ lives into a constant media circus, with fans even stampeding a mall just to see Pattinson. Asked if life was any different with the sequel on the horizon, Lautner said now he was “really, really busy” and Pattinson noted that he walks down the street hoping not to be noticed. Stewart deadpanned that her only life change was the stylistic kind: “I cut my hair off.”

Personally #7 is my fav, and is the funniest! You’ll have to refer to the rest of the list over at RottenTomatoes.com to see what it is!

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The New Moon panel at Comic-Con has concluded. Highlights from G4TV’s coverage by Stephen Johnson include:

• (after first exclusive clip) Uh oh…Jacob took off his shirt in the clip and the fans went nuts-o-crazy-go-nuts.
• Fan to Rob: Would you ever do open-mic nights for music, ever again?   Rob: Yes. I’d love to do it again. It’s good for your soul.
• Fan: for Taylor, how was it filming in different weather conditions, half-naked?   Taylor: It was cold. There was a day when I was only wearing jean shorts (Cheers from crowd.) It was really really cold, but I’m doing it all for you guys!
• I should point out that all questions are interupted by screams of “I love you!” and “You’re awesome!” and “wooo!” at random.
• Rob: Edward’s who character is about restraint, so I always found it difficult to move as the character. So in the new movie, a lot of the shots are set up so that I can move as little a possible. The camera moves more often.
• Chris Weitz is going to show another scene! The fans go insane. The scene: Alice and Bella racing to save Edward.   You remember that scene right?

Rotten Tomatoes has an extensive write-up on the scenes that were shown, including these spoilers for the first clip:

Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) are bent over an antique light blue motorcycle. Jacob wears jeans, a brown t-shirt, and his hair is long. As Bella sits on the motorcycle, Jacob guides her hands (touching!) over the handles. “Brake. Clutch. Gas,” he reminds her. Bella revs the engine. “Slowly release the clutch,” says Jacob.

Suddenly, Bella sees the translucent apparition of Edward, a concerned look on his face, standing in front of her. We can see him, but also see through him. Bella takes off on the bike.

As she zooms down the road, Bella gains speed. She zooms by another apparition of Edward, standing in her path. She speeds by another. Losing focus, Bella swerves and falls from the bike, hitting her head on a rock.

Jacob speeds over to Bella on his own bike, coming to a stop with a flourish. He hops off the bike and rushes to Bella’s side. She is bewildered, and blood gushes from a gash on her forehead.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Jacob asks. Bella apologizes for the blood, but it doesn’t bother Jacob.

He takes a step back, the camera following his every move. Jacob strips off his shirt, revealing a six-pack, and bends down to dab Bella’s wound with it. Their faces come very close.
“You’re so beautiful,” she tells him. Emotion flashes across his face.

Find out what happens in the other scene at Rotten Tomatoes. You can also check out the rest of G4TV’s excellent liveblog coverage as well as the Twitpics from Buzznet.

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MTV gives their recount of the New Moon booth at Comic-Con, and it sounds impressive!–

This year, “New Moon” mania is in full effect. An impressive booth sits in the middle of the convention floor, showing off three enormous character photos of Rob, Kristen and Taylor Lautner. A spinning, “Let’s Make a Deal”-like wheel gives fans the opportunity to win all kinds of “Twilight” swag, and the lines promise to be as long as the list of high schools the Cullens have attended.

The coolest part of the booth, however, once again revolves around a photo op — although this year’s is far cooler. You can sit in a massive Volturi-style chair just like those soon to be occupied on screen by the vampire coven from Volterra, Italy. After the studio takes your photo, however, they’ll superimpose the actual Italian background from the “New Moon” flick, and then e-mail it to you. How cool is that?

After the break, check out video from the event!

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Not only will there be a panel with exclusive footage from New Moon introduced by castmembers at Comic-Con, but there will also be–

Summit Entertainment will be presenting “The Twilight Experience,” a one-time theatrical re-release of 2008’s Twilight, which will be a treat for Twilight fans as the event will include an introduction by the present cast members. The screening tickets are $10.00, and are available for purchase through Fandango only (with pick up at the theater prior to the event). The screening event will take place at the Pacific Gaslamp, 701 5th Avenue (a few blocks from the convention center), with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. (Note: only two tickets are allowed per person).

Other special events taking place at Comic-Con through Summit Entertainment (their booth being in the Grand Hall) are an opportunity to have a photo taken in an exclusive The Twilight Saga: New Moon photo booth, the chance to collect special edition trading cards for the film, and the opportunity to meet the CG-enhanced animated versions of classic characters brought to life in Astro Boy. There will also be a spin-wheel where fans can win promotional give-aways and exclusive prizes.

New information on ‘New Moon’ and other Summit Entertainment panels at Comic-Con

UPDATE: There is now a page on the Fandango site for buying tickets!.

[thanks, J.Scott & Amanda!]

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