12-17
New Moon drama
If you’ve been following anything Twilight-related lately then you’ve probably caught wind of some of the drama surrounding the announcements for New Moon, the second movie to come.
First up they’ve switched directors. Catherine Hardwicke is out, Chris Weitz (American Pie, The Golden Compass) is in. This caused a little uproar. Essentially the reasoning was that the studio wants the movie out next year and Catherine wouldn’t work with that schedule. I completely understand both sides there. She has her vision and I wouldn’t have wanted her to compromise, but at the same time, the studio knew they could get someone else to put out something just as good and do it on their schedule. I thought Catherine did a great job, but what she did didn’t blow me away at all and she took some liberties (mostly with Edward’s character in general) that I wasn’t comfortable with so I’m perfectly happy with seeing what a new director can do with this world. Again, the first movie didn’t blow me away so for me there’s really only room to make it better.
Where everyone is really getting their panties in a wad is over the character of Jacob. Taylor Lautner portrays Jacob in Twilight and there’s talk that he may not be chosen for the role in the second film. Everyone is all worked up because they say Taylor was so perfect in the role and he’s such a great guy and he wants the role so badly.
Wtf? Were you people watching the same movie as me? In Twilight, Jacob had maybe two significant scenes….and based on that you can tell me he’s perfect for the role? In New Moon, Jacob is essentially a completely different person than he is in Twilight and I honestly don’t see where Taylor could pull off that transformation. There really aren’t many people who can honestly disagree that it would take a lot of work to make Taylor into Jacob Black. I’m sure he is a great guy, but I would rather see the right person in the role than someone everyone just didn’t want to disappoint. It’s not like losing this role will end his career. And honestly, Jacob has such a small role in the first film and is such a generic character at this point anyway that switching actors for the second film wouldn’t hurt anything at all. Jacob is already progressing along this huge change when we find him again in New Moon so I’d have no problem seeing someone else in the role… besides, I honestly can’t see Taylor towering over Kristen Stewart lovingly and protectively…I know they can do a lot with movie magic I mean, we all watched the hobbits in LotR but seriously, they’d have to essentially change him into a completely different person and why waste such a budget chunk on that when another actor would fit better anyway?!
Everyone was against him being Jacob in the first place and honestly, the reasoning everyone used then still stands. The only thing that’s changed now is that there’s been press with Taylor and people have come to like him as a person, and I’m sorry, but who he is as a person has very little to do with him being successful portraying Jacob Black in the next and possibly following movies. He was fine for Twilight– in Twilight Jacob looks his age, but from here on out can we really see a 16 year old playing someone who’s supposed to look 25?
Be honest people, do you really think Taylor is perfect for the role, or do you just love Taylor? Remember, losing the role doesn’t mean he’ll never act again…
That’s the point with a few scenes Taylor earn a the heart of JACOB fans. YES I think he can do it. Did you remember IRON MAN that guy is short but you don’t even notice when he is next to Gwyneth Paltrow (she is 5’10″). Plus I think he has chemistry with Kristen.
Beside Taylor is a good actor and I do believe that he can do it.
TEAM TWILIGHT
Iron Man is about a guy in a suit, Jacob Black is a kid who is 16 but looks 25 naturally. For Robert Downey Jr they simply had to make him look taller for a few scenes, for Taylor they’d have to toy with his height, his width and his facial structure for the entire movie. I understand he’s working out, but at his age, shoulder width and such comes over time, not just because you exercise.
And you’re still not going to convince me that a few scenes in Twilight makes him the perfect Jacob, especially considering that from here on out Jacob is essentially a different character than he was in Twilight. In Twilight he’s a shy kid; after this, he’s almost overnight transformed into a man with the burden of a secret and the lives of people he loves in his hands. Being able to act adolescent, shy, and flirtatious just doesn’t play into that.
Really, I have nothing against Taylor, my point is simply that he just may not be the person for the role and I’ve yet to see any valid reasons why I should think he is.
I feel the pull on my heart strings when I hear they are going to get someone else, because I really like Jacob. But when I think about the fact that they are CHANGING Jacob, not removing him from the story, I feel okay with it. (Although I do feel for Taylor “losing” the part.)
And can you imagine what the next person is going to go through for accepting the part? I hope they find someone that completely blows it away, so that everyone has to just shup up because they know the directors made the right choice.
I don’t think people (regular fans, like you and me) are going to make a difference in their decision. So I choose to sit back and enjoy the movie, rather than dissecting each character.
I’m with you, Marie. I mean, they switched directors without really thinking twice about it so I don’t see why they’d keep an actor they think is all wrong for the part just because the fans like him. They know people are still going to watch the movie.
I think the uproar only bothers me because people are really and truly getting upset about this and there’s a serious consistent flow of petitions and people writing angry letters to everyone they can– all this and I still haven’t seen anyone list any valid reasons for why they think Taylor ‘deserves’ to keep the role! haha
i have to read these books! i finallly saw the movie!
I definitely disagree. If they can CGI some werewolves, then it can NOT be that hard to make Taylor look a bit older or different. He is an actor, so as far as character transformation, he can do that himself. As far as looks, if that is an issue, then I really don’t see how that could be all that hard, either. The main thing, as someone else mentioned before me, he captured the hearts of Jacob fans, who’d like to see him return. As for me, I’m just really attached to ALL the actors from the first movie, and would not want to see anyone else in any of their roles.
I’m a bit disappointed that they replaced Hardwicke, too, but it will be interesting to see where a new director can take it.
See, but the thing is, Jacob is in practically every scene. They’d have to change his height, his stature, and his facial structure. Why would you put any budget money toward fixing how someone looks in every scene when another actor would already look the part? And Taylor hasn’t done any roles that would suggest he could fit the part.
I mean, if they try him out and he’s able to nail the character and give those in charge a reason to want to invest all this money into making him look the part, then more power to him! I’m just saying as is, there’s nothing to date to give any reason for him to get the role.
I think Taylor should be Jacob for before the transformation, and for after the transformation they could switch Taylor w/ someone else that looks 25 years old or somethin like that
wtf! jacob is not saposed to look 25 he is younger then bella! read the books! and he can bulk up i kno it! love ya taylor!
Casey I think maybe you need to re-read the books, it’s mentioned many, many times that though Jacob is younger than Bella, he looks closer to 25 after the transformation. Bulking up has nothing to do with it, he can’t exercise to get taller, form a wider shoulder stance, and get more definition in his face, that’s something that comes with age and he’s barely done with puberty yet.
No one is saying there’s anything wrong with Taylor, but just because you think he’s a great guy doesn’t make him right for the part.