Posts Tagged "Twilight"

When Hollywood is looking for the next big thing, they often turn to the world of literature for inspiration.

With so many of our favorite YA book titles leaving their prized places on our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen, it can be hard to keep track of them all.

Here’s the latest news from Hollywood, from the big screen, to your screen.

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The Hunger Games

The big news the past few weeks has been centered around the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

So far, the big three have been already been cast – Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.

The newest castmates to be signed up are -

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna

Donald Sutherland as President Snow

Stanely Tucci as Caesar Flickerman

Just about every member including thr tributes have now been cast, for a full cast list check out the movie’s IMDB page here. The film has been given a release date for March 23 2012 for the U.S., U.K. and Canada so far. There’s been talk of the series being split into four movies rather than three (one for each book) but that’s currently unconfirmed.

Our first look at Jennifer as Katniss was revealed on the cover of the May issue of Entertainment Weekly, exciting!

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The Mortal Instruments

The other adaptation that seems to be picking up the pace is Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments with the much awaited announcement of Jamie Campbell Bower (Harry Potter, New Moon) as Jace Wayland.

Cassandra Clare spoke with MTV’s Hollywood Crush about the casting choice -

“He auditioned with Lily, and he and Lily had incredible chemistry that sort of blazed off the scene. I’m just sitting here watching this on my computer, and you know, he was not the only person they’ve ever sent me to look at. I’ve gotten lots of headshots and this and that, and I’m watching the audition and I literally started crying because that was my Jace and Clary on the screen. And it’s an incredible feeling to see that even as an audition. This is amazing. He was snarky funny where he needed to be snarky funny, and he was badass where he needed to be badass. And he and Lily were incredible together.”

To read more from that interview click here.

The search is now on to find the perfect Simon…

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Breaking Dawn

The first trailer for the newest addition to the Twilight franchise – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 premiered at the MTV movie awards a few weeks ago and looks very exciting! Who doesn’t love a wedding? (Well, Jacob I guess)

If you haven’t already seen it, check it out here

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Early days….

- Saorise Ronan has been cast as Melanie/Wanda in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host
- The company in charge of the Vampire Academy movie is still in the process of finding a studio
- Evan Daugherty has been hired to write the screenplay for Veronica Roth’s Divergent

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That’s all the movie news for the moment!

“Fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Twilight Saga will treasure this definitive official guide!

This must-have hardcover edition–the only official guide–is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.”

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Love her or hate her Stephenie Meyer is a woman who has taken the YA Lit world by storm. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, just about everyone is familiar with The Twilight Saga whether you’ve read the books or not. The Official Illustrated Guide has been quite an anticipated companion to the Twilight series, not only because fans have been desperate for new Meyer material for a while now, but because the release date kept getting pushed back for a few years. Have no fear though! The guide is finally here….but was it worth the wait?

Some might judge me but I, personally, am a Twilight fan. I might not be walking around with an Edward t-shirt (*cringe*) but I do love the books. If ever I share this information with others I usually get a judgmental smirk which has driven fans that experience the same to be a bit more discreet about their adoration.

The brave and dedicated headed proudly into the bookstores on April 12^th for the guide’s release, while the rest of us either covertly made our purchases or ordered online.

After all that I bet you’re asking – so what the heck is in this guide anyway?

Everything from individual character bios, family trees, a summary of key plot points in each chapter, illustrated explanation of each character’s cars, an interview with the author, outtakes, FAQ’s, playlists and where they fit into the story and more.

I’ve heard plenty of complaints that there isn’t anything new shared in the guide, which I guess is true, but it never claimed to be a source of new information. For those who haven’t really gone on Meyer’s website, many of the outtakes and mini stories, such as how Esme came to meet Carlisle will be new to them. If you’ve gone through every extra on her website, then yes, the guide will just be a hard copy collection of those extras, just a little more organized and detailed.

I think the only thing I found disappointing on the “new” argument was that we STILL don’t know who Embry’s dad is. Not that I’m losing sleep over it or anything….but still! Just tell us!

Overall I thought it was a good little guide that covers just about everything. The illustrations were gorgeous, and I liked seeing how certain characters were connected such as Heidi and Victoria. I liked reading the vampire’s bios but by the time I got to the werewolves I had lost interest. Mostly because it was getting tedious reading about things I already knew from reading the books, as well as reading the same bits of information repeated in bios that connected with each other. For example, the story of how Carlisle met Edward, is more or less repeated (but altered for the perspective) in Edward’s bio.

The good thing is that it’s not the kind of book where you have to sit and read it from start to finish. When you start feeling that Twilight nostalgia it’s the perfect thing to pick up and read a little more on the wolves or other vampire covens. When you just can’t remember which plot point came first in Eclipse, pick up the guide, when you reread Breaking Dawn before the movie comes out you can check out exactly what Bella meant about her ‘before’ car, complete with illustrations. Plus, it looks so nice on your shelf with the rest of your collection.

What was the main thing I learnt from the guide? That I completely miss reading Meyer’s work. Even in this guide I could see the elements of her writing that suck me in to everything she writes. I sincerely hope she’s working on something new.

For diehard fans, The Official Illustrated Guide will be a must have for the collection. For those expecting something new you won’t really find it here. It’s a companion, a guide, not a new novel.  It’s not AMAZING, but it’s certainly not terrible.

Pages: 543
Publication Date: April 2011
Publisher: Hachette/Atom
Challenge: n/a
Rating: :

Nine year-old Mackenzie Foy has been cast as Renesmee Cullen for the latest installment in the Twilight films, Breaking Dawn.

In a message posted by Stephenie on the Twilight Facebook page -

“Hi Everyone!

Congratulations to the Twilight Facebook Fan Page! 15 million fans! You guys never cease to amaze me. In other news…

Very excited about our new Renesmee, Mackenzie Foy. She’s an amazing young actress and I’m excited to work with her. I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer!

- Steph”

I think Mackenzie is a GREAT choice for Renesmee, this kid is ADORABLE. Will be interesting to see how it all turns out. Stay tuned.

Plenty of excitement today for fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, with the announcement of the release date for the newly renamed The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide.

In a press release sent out today from Little Brown -

“Little Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, has announced today at the Frankfurt Book Fair that it will release The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer on April 12, 2011. This definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga is the only official guide and is full color throughout, including nearly 100 full-color illustrations and photographs.

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide provides readers with exclusive new material and everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. The Guide also includes character profiles, outtakes, a conversation with Meyer, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more. Originally announced as “The Official Guide,” The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide includes illustrations from several artists, including Young Kim, the illustrator behind the #1 New York Times bestselling Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1….”

The guide will be released a day later in Australia by Hachette Australia on the 13th of April 2011.

In the world of YA Lit, book to movie adaptations are the in thing lately. Many of our favorite titles are being made into movies, so we thought we’d provide you with a little status update on some of the bigger names leaving our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen.

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden

Release: September 2010

Production Company/Studio: Paramount

Status: The hugely successful Australian novel will make its film debut on September 8, 2010 in Australia. Filming is finished and now all we have to do is wait in anticipation. We’re still searching for worldwide release dates. If anyone has any information on this, we’d appreciate the update!

You can watch the official trailer for the film here

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K Rowling

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2010, Part 2 – 15 July 2011

Production Company/Studio: Warner Bros.

Status: Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows is currently in post-production stages, with a release date set for sometime at the end of 2010. You can watch the trailer for the first instalment here. Not surprisingly, the release date for this film was delayed so that it wouldn’t coincide with, or be overshadowed by, the release of Eclipse, the third Twilight film. Part two is also completed and scheduled for an early 2011 release.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2011, Part 2 – 2012

Production Company/Studio: Summit Entertainment

Status: Part 1 of the fourth book in the Twilight Saga is currently in pre-production, gearing up for a 2011 release. The full cast from the previous three films have all signed back on for this two part mega finale. Bill Condon has signed on as director for both instalments. Condon directed the ever popular Dreamgirls and the creepy horror flick, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Filming is rumored to start in the early stages of 2011 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Vancouver, Canada. Filming for both instalments will be conducted back-to-back.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Lionsgate

Status: Although no cast or director has been named yet, Suzanne Collins herself is writing the screenplay adapatation and has already completed the first draft. A rumor is circulating that a director will be announced as soon as this summer, and the movie itself is scheduled to start filming in January 2011.

If I Stay – Gale Foreman

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Summit

Status: Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has signed on as director for the adaptation of Gayle Forman’s bestselling novel. No news yet on casting or when filming will begin.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features /Warner Bros.

Status: Shiver is still in the early development stage, and screenwriter  Nick Pustay has been signed on for the project. Putsay also wrote the screenplay for Ramona and Beezus, scheduled for release in 2010, starring Disney superstar, Selena Gomez. As yet, no director has been announced that we’re aware of.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – Cassandra Clare

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features

Status: Also still in early development, Jessica Postigo ha signed on as the screenwriter. The production company is currently looking for an appropriate director. No casting information is available as yet.

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

Release: TBC

Production Company/Studio: Preger Entertainment

Status: Vampire Academy is the latest YA book to have the film rights optioned and is at the very early stages of development. No studio has currently picked up the project as of yet but you can head over to the Official VA Movie page here to show your support.

Other books that are currently in development

Wake by Lisa McMann – Miley Cyrus has scored the leading role of Janie.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Marg Stohl (Warner Bros.)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Universal Pictures)

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Disney)

Wings by April Lynn Pike – Miley Cyrus scored the leading role.  (Disney)

The Book Thief (20^th Century Fox)