Oscar Winner Bill Condon to Direct ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’

Submitted by BrianTT on April 28, 2010 - 7:04pm

CHICAGO – The final sequel to “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” just found itself an A-list director in the man behind the lens for “Kinsey” and “Dreamgirls” and an Oscar winner for his script for “Gods and Monsters” (and nominee for “Chicago”), Bill Condon.

After weeks of rumors as to who would sit in the directorial chair for the fourth and final film based on the series of books by Stephenie Meyer after “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Summit Entertainment made the announcement this afternoon. The script for “Breaking Dawn” is currently being penned by series scribe Melissa Rosenberg and will star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.

Erik Feig, president of production and acquisitions for Summit Entertainment, said: “Bringing Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn to the screen requires a graceful and intelligent hand and we believe Bill Condon is exactly the right steward, having shown equal and abundant talents of immense creativity and subtle sensivity.”

Breaking Dawn
Photo credit: Little, Brown Books

The press release announcing the hire also quotes author Stephenie Meyer, “I’m so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us. I think he’s going to be a great fit, and I’m excited to see what he does with the material.”

Finally, Mr. Condon himself chimed in with “I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book - and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience.”

With only two films released, the “Twilight” franchise has already grossed over $1.1 billion in worldwide box office ticket sales and the third film, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” hits theaters on June 30th, 2010.

The first “Twilight” film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the second by Chris Weitz, and the third by David Slade.

“Twilight,” which starred Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Ashley Greene and Taylor Lautner grossed $178 million domestically. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” was an even bigger hit, grossing an amazing $296 million domestically.