Summit CEO talks Meyer adaptation
“We were alerted to the property very early in the life of the company and it was something that we immediately knew was an opportunity not only for us but as a movie,” says Summit Entertainment’s CEO Robert Friedman, taking ShockTillYouDrop.com back to the beginnings of Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight (based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer).
The two of us sit to chat briefly during a recent set visit in an empty classroom just off of the Madison High School cafeteria where shooting is taking place. Surrounding us are chairs designated for all of the principal players: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, et al.
Friedman is cognizant of the fact that come December, when Summit opens the film on the 12th, other studios will be kicking themselves for having passed on the property. “When we realized there was a chance we could get it – the person who brought it to us was someone who worked with me at Paramount – we aggressively pursued it.”
“We always saw this as more of a Romeo and Juliet set in the very interesting world of vampires,” he adds. “It definitely puts an interesting spin on it. The obvious success of the books, and what we knew to be the franchise potential, was something we couldn’t resist.”
He offers tremendous kudos to Hardwicke who he believes is ideal for the material. “Her history going back to Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown…when we met with her she had an immediate sense of where the material needed to go and jived exactly with where we thought it should go. We all had the same vision and when that happens you’ve got to jump on it.”
Look for a full set report on ShockTillYouDrop.com soon!
Source: Ryan Rotten
