14 DAY TRIAL // “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” the third film in the franchise, has finished shooting and is now heavy in post-production, in time for its theatrical release this summer. In true “Twilight” fashion, this would be the right time for the cast to reassemble again to start work on the fourth film, but that can’t happen because a dispute between Summit Entertainment and author Stephenie Meyer is holding things back, Ted Casablanca of The Awful Truth writes.
The issue of whether the fourth book, “Breaking Dawn,” should be divided in two films like it was the case with the final “Harry Potter” book, has been subject to much speculation in the media. It’s clear that the original story, as written by Meyer, clearly allows for such a division, as all fans must know, but Summit wanting to go this route is more of a financially driven decision than anything else. Meyer is clearly against such practices, insiders tell Casablanca.
“Stephenie is calling the shots, and she still can’t decide whether or not [making two movies] is the right thing to do creatively. Both sides have very different agendas,” the insider reveals for the aforementioned media outlet. While Summit wants to go with two movies for the money, Meyer is not willing to compromise her work for an extra buck. That is to say, until she sees the practicality of splitting “Breaking Dawn” in two, she will not consent to Summit’s idea.
The problem is that it’s Meyer who runs the show and not Summit, the report goes on to say. This has literally brought production on the fourth film to a halt, with neither side willing to give in. “Meyer isn’t in it for the fame. She hates doing press, and she doesn’t want to be recognized for anything other than her work, so what’s her incentive to drag [the book] out? They [Summit] keep trying to persuade her it’s the right thing to do artistically. They’re constantly waiting for her input,” the spy further says.
At the same time, Summit is also trying to go about this from a different direction, namely by making Meyer see that this is what fans would love, to see more of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan’s love story by having the final and fourth book split in two. So far, the author is not convinced.