New Moon (marketed as The Twilight Saga: New Moon) is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film. 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. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight.[4] Directed by Chris Weitz, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner,[5] 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.
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 [Twilight 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 obtained the rights to the remaining books in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.[9] 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.[10] Melissa Rosenberg had been working on adapting the novel prior to Twilight's release[11] and handed in the draft for New Moon during Twilight's opening weekend in November 2008.[6]
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[12]
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.[13] On December 13, 2008, it was announced that Chris Weitz, director of The Golden Compass and co-director of American Pie, had been hired to direct New Moon.[14]
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."[15] In an attempt to keep the role, Lautner weight-trained extensively and gained approximately 30 pounds.[16] In January 2009, Weitz and Summit Entertainment announced that Lautner would continue to play the role of Jacob in New Moon.[5] In an interview, fellow cast member Kristen Stewart talked about Lautner's transformation saying, "He's an entirely different person physically."[17]
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 American Indian casts, such as Dances with Wolves and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.[18] 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".[19]
Talking about the casting of Michael Sheen as Aro, 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."[20]
Filming and post-production
Pre-production for New Moon started in December 2008.[21] Filming was scheduled to begin on March 23, 2009 in Vancouver,[22][23] but began a few days early.[24] David Thompson Secondary School served as the location for the high school scenes in the movie.[25] Filming in Montepulciano, Italy occurred in late May 2009[26][27] and ended on the 29th.[citation needed]
Music
Main article: New Moon (soundtrack)
The score for New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat[28] while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack.[29] The New Moon: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album was released on October 16, 2009[30] by Patsavas' Chop Shop label, in conjunction with Atlantic Records.[29] It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart,[31] and climbed to number one a week later after selling 153,000 copies in its first full week of release.[32]
The Cullens and the Swans
* Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who has fallen in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire. She is heartbroken when Edward abruptly leaves her, but is raised out of her depression through her friendship with family friend Jacob Black.[5]
* Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Bella's vampire love who abruptly leaves town to protect her.[5][33] For much of the film, Edward only appears as a figment of Bella's imagination.[34]
* Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen, a member of the Cullen family who can see "subjective" visions of the future and who becomes best friends with Bella. Greene explained that she would like to boost her strength and stamina for the sequel and said, "Compared to the first film it's a much larger part for me."[35]
* Billy Burke as Charlie Swan, Bella's father[36] and Forks' Chief of Police.
* Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen, leader and father figure of the Cullen family.[37]
* Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife and the mother figure of the Cullen family.[38][39]
* Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen, a member of the Cullen family. In an interview, Lutz said, "I've talked to the producers, and they say I have a lot of funny lines."[40]
* Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale, a member of the Cullen family who "feels really strongly about her hatred for Bella."[41] Reed, a brunette, stated that she will not dye her hair blonde to film the sequel. "It took 36 hours initially to make me blonde, and every other day, I was bleaching my head and my skin," recalled Reed. "This time around, we are testing out different wigs and stuff."[42]
* Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale, a member of the Cullen family who thirsts for Bella's blood after she gives herself a paper cut. This particular scene is Rathbone's favorite, and he stated that he is "very excited to film [it]."[43] Jasper also has the ability to sense and control the emotions of others.[44]
Quileute tribe
* Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black,[5] Bella's old childhood friend and a member of the Quileute tribe. He becomes close to Bella after Edward leaves,[8] and transforms into a werewolf.[45] Lautner says of the role, "[Jacob] transforms mid-story—in the first half, he's Twilight Jacob. I'm wearing a wig. My character's very clumsy, outgoing, and friendly. When he transforms into a werewolf, he becomes something very different."[46]
* Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley, the leader of a werewolf pack that protects humans against predatory vampires.[47]
* Tinsel Korey as Emily Young, Sam's fiancée and a mother figure to the wolf pack.[48][49]
* Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara, one of Jacob's best friends and the last to learn of his wolf heritage.[50]
* Alex Meraz as Paul, a volatile member of the wolf pack.[51]
* Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call, one of Jacob's best friends.[47] Gordon describes the character as "Jake's right hand man, tall, skinny, shy and the fourth to turn into a werewolf."[52]
* Bronson Pelletier as Jared, the joker of the wolf pack.[47]
* Graham Greene as Harry Clearwater, a Quileute elder and friend of Bella's father, Charlie.[49]
* Gil Birmingham as Billy Black, Jacob's father and a Quileute chief.[53]
Nomadic vampires
* Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria, a vampire who wants to kill Bella to avenge her lover, James.[54]
* Edi Gathegi as Laurent,[55] a vampire who also tries to kill Bella.[56]
The Volturi
* Michael Sheen as Aro, the leader of an ancient Italian vampire coven known as the Volturi.[20]
* Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius, one of the leaders of the Volturi and a key character in the plot of the film.[57]
* Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus,[49] one of the leaders of the Volturi.
* Dakota Fanning as Jane, a guard of the Volturi who has the ability to torture people with illusions of pain.[58][59]
* Cameron Bright as Alec, Jane's brother.[49]
* Charlie Bewley as Demetri, a member of the Volturi.[49] When asked about the character, Bewley said, "He has unparalleled tracking abilities together with insane strength, speed and classiness".[60]
* Daniel Cudmore as Felix, a Volturi enforcer.[49]
* Noot Seear as Heidi, a vampire who brings humans to the Volturi to eat.[49][61]
* Justine Wachsberger as Gianna,[62] a human who works for the Volturi.[63]
Humans
* Anna Kendrick as Jessica Stanley, Bella's self-involved friend.[64][65]
* Justin Chon as Eric Yorkie, Bella's friend.[64]
* Christian Serratos as Angela Weber, Bella's friend.[64]
* Michael Welch as Mike Newton, Bella's friend who has a crush on her. He joins her on a date with Jacob.[66]
