Twilight (2008 Film)
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''Twilight'' is a 2008 American romantic fantasy film directed by Catherine Hardwicke from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2005 novel of the same name by
Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 160 million ...
. It is the first installment in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series. The film stars Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl, and Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
. It focuses on the development of Bella and Edward's relationship and the subsequent efforts of Edward and his family to keep Bella safe from another coven of vampires. The project was in development for approximately three years at
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
'
MTV Films MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television Film production, production and Film distribution, distribution company and is the film ...
, during which time a
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
that differed significantly from the novel was written. Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the novel after the project's stagnant development. Rosenberg wrote a new adaptation of the novel shortly before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and sought to be faithful to the novel's storyline.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began in March 2008 and took 44 days, being completed in May; the film was shot in the states of
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and Washington. ''Twilight'' premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, California on November 17, 2008, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 21, by Summit Entertainment. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film grossed $408.5 million worldwide. It was released on DVD and
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on March 21, 2009, and became the most purchased DVD of the year. The
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was released on November 4, 2008. The film was followed by four sequels: '' New Moon'' (2009), '' Eclipse'' (2010), '' Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' (2011), and '' Breaking Dawn – Part 2'' (2012)


Plot

Seventeen-year-old Bella Swan leaves
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and moves to Forks, a small town located on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula, to live with her father, Charlie, the town's police chief. Her mother, Renée, is remarried to Phil, a
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
player. Bella becomes re-acquainted with Jacob Black, a Native American teen who lives with his father, Billy on the Quileute Indian Reservation near Forks. At school, she finds the mysterious and aloof Cullen siblings particularly intriguing. She is seated next to Edward Cullen in
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class, but he seems repulsed by her. When Bella is nearly struck by a van in the school parking lot, Edward instantaneously covers a distance of over thirty feet to put himself between her and the van, stopping it with only his hand. He refuses to explain his actions to her, warning her against befriending him. Jacob tells Bella about a long-standing animosity between the Cullens and the Quileutes; the Cullens are not allowed on the reservation. When Edward saves Bella again, this time from a gang, after research she concludes that he is a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
. He eventually confirms this, explaining that he found her scent irresistible back in biology class and that the Cullens only consume animal blood. The pair fall in love and he introduces her to his vampire family. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch, is a doctor at the Forks Hospital. Esme is his wife, and Alice, Jasper,
Emmett Emmett may refer to: Places ;In the United States * Emmett, Idaho * Emmett, Kansas * Emmett, Michigan, a village in St. Clair County * Emmett Charter Township, Michigan in Calhoun County * Emmett Township, St. Clair County, Michigan * Emmett, Misso ...
and Rosalie are their informally-adopted children. The family's reaction to Bella is mixed, as some of the Cullens are concerned that the family's secret could be exposed. Edward and Bella's relationship is jeopardized when three nomadic vampires— James, Victoria, and Laurent—arrive, responsible for a series of deaths being investigated as animal attacks. James, a tracker vampire, is excited by Bella's scent and becomes obsessed with hunting her for sport. The Cullens protect Bella from the trio. Laurent chose to warn the Cullens about James, who in turn attempt to draw James away from Bella, but James manages to track her to Phoenix. She is there hiding with Jasper and Alice, and James tricks her into thinking he kidnapped her mother by luring her into her old ballet studio. James revealed the kidnapping was a ruse as he attacks Bella, infecting her with vampire venom. The Cullens arrive and kill James, decapitating and burning him, as Edward removes the venom from Bella's wrist, preventing her from becoming a vampire. In the aftermath, Edward accompanies an injured Bella to prom, where he refuses her request to transform her into a vampire. They are unaware that James' mate, Victoria, is watching them, plotting revenge for her lover's death.


Cast

* Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a seventeen-year-old girl who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington from
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
and falls in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire. Her life is endangered after James, a sadistic vampire, decides to hunt her. * Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, a 108-year-old vampire who was changed in 1918 and still appears to be seventeen. He is Bella's love interest and eventually falls in love with her. He can read minds, except for Bella's, along with superhuman speed. * Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen, a compassionate 300-plus-year-old vampire who looks to be in his early 30s. He serves as the town's physician and is the Cullen family patriarch. * Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen, Carlisle's vampire wife and the matriarch of the Cullen family. * Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen, Jasper Hale's mate, a vampire who can see the future based on decisions that people make. * Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen, physically the strongest vampire of the family. * Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen's mate, a vampire described as the most beautiful person in the world. She is hostile toward Bella throughout the film, worried that Edward's relationship with a human puts their clan at risk. * Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale, a Cullen family member who can manipulate emotions. He is the newest member of the Cullen family and thus has the most difficulty maintaining their "vegetarian" diet of feeding only on animal rather than human blood. * Billy Burke as Charlie Swan, Bella's father and Forks' Chief of Police. * Cam Gigandet as James Witherdale, the vicious member of a trio of nomadic vampires with an intention to kill Bella. He is Victoria's mate and a gifted tracker, due to his unparalleled senses. * Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria Sutherland, James' mate who assists him and Laurent in causing havoc in the Olympic Peninsula. * Edi Gathegi as Laurent Da Revin, leader of a trio of vampires wreaking havoc in the Olympic Peninsula and the most civilized of the trio. * Sarah Clarke as Renée Dwyer, Bella's mother who lives in Arizona with her new husband, Phil. * Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, an old childhood friend of Bella and a member of the Quileute tribe. *
Christian Serratos Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( ; name at birth, born Bernardi on September 21, 1990) is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Rosita Espinosa in AMC's ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the ...
as Angela Weber, one of Bella's new friends in Forks. * Michael Welch as Mike Newton, one of Bella's new friends who vie for her attention. *
Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...
as Jessica Stanley, Bella's first friend in Forks. * Gregory Tyree Boyce as Tyler Crowley, another one of Bella's classmates, also vying for Bella's attention. He nearly hits Bella with his van. * Justin Chon as Eric Yorkie, another one of Bella's classmates who vies for her attention. * Solomon Trimble as Sam Uley. Solomon Trimble was credited as "Jacob's friend" in the film, but was widely recognized as playing the part of Sam. * Krys Hyatt as Embry Call. He was recognized as playing the part of Embry in the ''Twilight'' film, though his role was uncredited. * Gil Birmingham as Billy Black * Matt Bushell as Phil Dwyer * José Zúñiga as Mr. Molina * Ned Bellamy as Waylon Forge * Ayanna Berkshire as Cora * Katie Powers as Waitress * Trish Egan as Ms. Cope


Production


Development

In early 2004, Greg Mooradian of Maverick Films, looking for young adult novels to adapt to film, received an unpublished
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
of ''Twilight'' and began to read it. After reaching the scene where Bella Swan is saved by Edward Cullen from being hit by a car, Mooradian understood the appeal of the novel and believed he "might have stumbled upon something really viable and special". Mooradian brought the manuscript to David Gale, then executive vice president of
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
'
MTV Films MTV Entertainment Studios (formerly MTV Production Development from 2003 until 2018 and MTV Studios from 2018 until 2021) is an American film and television Film production, production and Film distribution, distribution company and is the film ...
division, to propose a film adaptation, believing the novel to be "tailor-made" for the MTV brand's teen audience. Gale, in turn, brought it to Paramount's then co-president of production, Karen Rosenfelt, who lobbied to option the rights to the novel. MTV Films eventually acquired the rights in April of the same year and later hired Mark Lord to write a script. The screenplay that was subsequently developed was substantially different from its source material, being more action-oriented. According to Lord, he originally pitched his adaptation as a
vampiric A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
take on the play ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
'', but MTV Films "wanted to just put in some more action to advance it more and give something more for the male audience. They thought they were going to lose the male audience with too much of a romance." MTV Films was pleased with the script he delivered, which included, among many changes, the character of Bella Swan being a
long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...
, cursing, using shotguns against vampires who killed her father, being turned into a vampire, and riding "jet skis being chased by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
". When talking about MTV Films' original script, author
Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 160 million ...
said, "They could have filmed it and not called it ''Twilight'' because it had nothing to do with the book, and that's kind of frightening." Following a change of management at Paramount Pictures, the studio's new president of production, Brad Weston, told Gale that he believed audiences were not interested in films about vampires and
werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after bei ...
, after being involved with
box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...
'' Cursed'' at Dimension Films, and development stalled. In January 2006, Paramount put ''Twilight'' into turnaround. Rosenfelt, who had left Paramount and came aboard ''Twilight'' as a producer, was determined to make the film and attempted to forge a co-production deal between Paramount and Fox 2000 Pictures, where she had a producing deal, but Fox 2000 did not agree with Paramount's terms. Rosenfelt later tried to generate interest at Fox Atomic, but Fox Atomic passed. In October 2006, Rosenfelt met with Erik Feig, then president of production of Summit Entertainment, and mentioned to him that, of all the projects she wished she could make, she thought ''Twilight'' had the biggest potential. After their meeting, Feig obtained a copy of the novel, read it, and passed it on to colleagues at Summit, who perceived it as an opportunity to launch a franchise. When Paramount Pictures let the rights to ''Twilight'' expire in April 2007, Summit acquired them, agreeing in contract with Meyer that their film adaptation would be more faithful to the novel than MTV Films' version. Before even having the rights to ''Twilight'', on the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, Feig talked with director Catherine Hardwicke, of whom he was a fan, about working with Summit Entertainment and sent her five scripts of films the studio was developing, including Mark Lord's draft of ''Twilight'' for MTV Films. Hardwicke did not like any of the scripts, but ended up curious about ''Twilight''. She bought a copy of the novel and realized the script she had read had very little to do with the source material, which she soon began envisioning as a film. Following Summit's acquisition of the rights, Hardwicke was set to direct the film and Melissa Rosenberg was hired to write the script in mid-2007. Rosenberg developed an outline by the end of August and collaborated with Hardwicke on writing the screenplay during the following month. Rosenberg said Hardwicke "was a great sounding board and had all sorts of brilliant ideas. ..I'd finish off scenes and send them to her, and get back her notes." Due to the impending Writers Guild of America strike, Rosenberg worked full-time to finish the screenplay before October 31. In adapting the novel, she "had to condense a great deal." Some characters from the novel were not featured in the screenplay, whereas some characters were combined into others. " r intent all along was to stay true to the book", Rosenberg explained, "and it has to do less with adapting it word for word and more with making sure the characters' arcs and emotional journeys are the same." Hardwicke suggested the use of voice over to convey Bella's internal dialogue – since the novel is told from her point of view – and she sketched some of the storyboards during pre-production.


Adaptation from source material

The filmmakers behind ''Twilight'' worked to create a film that was as faithful to the novel as they thought possible when converting the story to another medium. Producer Greg Mooradian said, "It's very important to distinguish that we're making a separate piece of art that obviously is going to remain very, very faithful to the book. ..But at the same time, we have a separate responsibility to make the best movie you can make." To ensure a faithful adaptation, Meyer was kept very involved in the production process, having been invited to visit the set during filming and even asked to give notes on the script and on a rough cut of the film. Of this process, she said, "It was a really pleasant exchange etween me and the filmmakersfrom the beginning, which I think is not very typical. They were really interested in my ideas", and " ..hey kept me in the loop and with the script, they let me see it and said, 'What are your thoughts?' ..They let me have input on it and I think they took 90 percent of what I said and just incorporated it right into the script." Meyer fought for one line in particular, one of the most well-known from the book about "the lion and the lamb", to be kept verbatim in the film: "I actually think the way Melissa osenbergwrote it sounded better for the movie ..but the problem is that line is actually tattooed on peoples' bodies. ..But I said, 'You know, if you take that one and change it, that's a potential backlash situation. Meyer was even invited to create a written list of things that could not be changed for the film, such as giving the vampires fangs or killing characters who do not die in the book, that the studio agreed to follow in the contract. The consensus among critics is that the filmmakers succeeded in making a film that is very faithful to its source material, with one reviewer stating that, with a few exceptions, "''Twilight'' the movie is unerringly faithful to the source without being hamstrung by it." However, as is most often the case with film adaptations, differences do exist between the film and source material. Certain scenes from the book were cut from the film, such as a biology room scene where Bella's class does blood typing. Hardwicke explains, "Well he book isalmost 500 pages—you do have to do the sweetened condensed milk version of that. ..We already have two scenes in biology: the first time they're in there and then the second time when they connect. For a film, when you condense, you don't want to keep going back to the same setting over and over. So that's not in there." The settings of certain conversations in the book were also changed to make the scenes more "visually dynamic" on-screen, such as Bella's revelation that she knows Edward is a vampire—this happens in a meadow in the film instead of in Edward's car as in the novel. A biology field trip scene is added to the film to condense the moments of Bella's frustration at trying to explain how Edward saved her from being crushed by a van. The villainous vampires are introduced earlier in the film than in the novel. Rosenberg said "You don't really see James and the other villains until the last quarter of the book, which really won't work for a movie. You need that ominous tension right off the bat. We needed to see them and that impending danger from the start. And so I had to create a back story for them, what they were up to, to flesh them out a bit as characters." Rosenberg also combined some of the human high school students, with Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley in the novel becoming the character of Jessica in the film, and a "compilation of a couple of different human characters" becoming Eric Yorkie. About these variances from the book, Mooradian stated, "I think we did a really judicious job of distilling
he book He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter ca ...
Our greatest critic, Stephenie Meyer, loves the screenplay, and that tells me that we made all the right choices in terms of what to keep and what to lose. Invariably, you're going to lose bits and pieces that certain members of the audience are going to desperately want to see, but there's just a reality that we're not making 'Twilight: The Book' the movie."


Casting

Several actresses, including Lily Collins and
Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress and producer. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The List of high ...
, screen tested for the role of Bella Swan, while Frances Bean Cobain turned down the opportunity to audition for the role. Hardwicke desired to test Kristen Stewart, who she had seen in '' Into the Wild'' and became her first choice for the part. Stewart eventually agreed to met Hardwicke while working on '' Adventureland'' and Hardwicke visited her in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
with actor Jackson Rathbone, who was in contention to portray Edward Cullen, for an informal screen test that "captivated" the director. After casting Stewart as Bella, Hardwicke had trouble finding an actor otherworldly enough to play Edward Cullen. Rathbone, Shiloh Fernandez, Ben Barnes, and Robert Pattinson were the final four up for the role. Hardwicke did not initially choose Pattinson for Edward Cullen, with him arriving at her house in Venice, Los Angeles for a test, according to Hardwicke, "kind of wild-looking" with "scraggly, black dyed hair, and a stain on his shirt", while also having, according to Pattinson, a "hairless, chubby body" from "drinking beer all day" for a few months. After an audition, however, where Pattinson kissed Stewart on Hardwicke's bed and fell out of it, he was selected. Hardwicke said, "Kristen was like, 'It's got to be Rob!' She felt connected to him from the first moment. That electricity, or love at first sight, or whatever it is." Hardwicke gave him the part, as long as he got in shape and made a promise. You've got to realize that Kristen is 17 years old, Hardwicke told him. She's underage. You've got to focus, dude, or you're going to be arrested.' I made him swear on a stack of
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
s." Pattinson was unfamiliar with the
book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publ ...
prior to his screen test but read the books later on. Meyer even allowed him to view a manuscript of the unfinished ''
Midnight Sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...
'', which chronicles the events in ''Twilight'' from Edward's point of view. Fan reaction to Pattinson's casting as Edward was initially negative; Rachelle Lefevre remarked that " ery woman had their own Edward
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
they had to let go of before they could open up to im which they did." Meyer was "excited" and "ecstatic" in response to the casting of the two main characters. She had expressed interest in having Emily Browning and Henry Cavill cast as Bella and Edward, respectively, prior to pre-production. Peter Facinelli was chosen to play Carlisle Cullen, though he was not the first choice by Summit, revealing, "Hardwicke liked me, but there was another actor that the studio was pushing for." For unknown reasons, that actor was not able to play the part and Facinelli was selected in his place. Elizabeth Reaser was hired as Esme Cullen, despite only knowing in the audition that the film was based on a novel. Jackson Rathbone, who was in the final mix for Edward, was cast as Jasper Hale. The choice of Ashley Greene to portray Alice Cullen was the subject of fan criticism due to Greene being taller than her character as described in the novel. Meyer stated previously that
Rachael Leigh Cook Rachael Leigh Cook (born October 4, 1979) is an American actress and model. She has starred in the films ''The Baby-Sitters Club (film), The Baby-Sitters Club'' (1995), ''She's All That'' (1999), and ''Josie and the Pussycats (film), Josie and ...
resembled her vision of Alice. Nikki Reed was cast as Rosalie Hale. Reed had previously worked with Hardwicke on '' Thirteen'', which they wrote together, and '' Lords of Dogtown''. Reed commented, "I don't want to say it's a coincidence, because we do work well together, and we have a great history. I think we make good work, but it's more than the people that hire ardwicketo direct a film of theirs avemost likely seen her other work." After an open casting call, Taylor Lautner was cast as Jacob Black. Kellan Lutz was in
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shooting the
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'' Generation Kill'' when the auditions for the character of Emmett Cullen were conducted. The role had already been cast by the time that pre-production ended in December 2007, but the actor who had been selected "fell through"; Lutz subsequently auditioned and was flown to
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, where Hardwicke personally chose him. Rachelle Lefevre was interested in pursuing a role in the film because Hardwicke was attached to the project as director; there was also "the potential to explore a character, hopefully, over three films"; and she wanted to portray a vampire. She "thought that vampires were basically the best metaphor for human anxiety and questions about being alive."
Christian Serratos Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( ; name at birth, born Bernardi on September 21, 1990) is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Rosita Espinosa in AMC's ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the ...
initially auditioned for Jessica Stanley, but she "fell totally in love with Angela" after reading the novels and successfully took advantage of a later opportunity to audition for Angela Weber. The role of Jessica Stanley went to
Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...
, who got the part after two mix-and-match auditions with various actors.


Filming and post-production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took 44 days, after more than a week of rehearsals, and completed on May 2, 2008. Similar to her directorial debut ''Thirteen'', Hardwicke opted for an extensive use of hand-held cinematography to make the film "feel real". Meyer visited the production set three times and was consulted on different aspects of the story; she also has a brief cameo in the film. Cast members who portrayed vampires avoided sunlight to make their skin pale, though makeup was also applied for that effect, and wore contact lenses: "We did the golden color because the Cullens have those golden eyes. And then, when we're hungry, we have to pop the black ones in," Facinelli explained. They also participated in rehearsals with a dance choreographer and observed the physicality of different
panthera ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family (biology), family Felidae, and one of two extant genera in the subfamily Pantherinae. It contains the largest living members of the cat family. There are five living species: the jaguar, leopard, lion, ...
to make their bodily movements more elegant. Scenes were filmed primarily in
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, including at the Cullen House, a striking glass-and-wood residence. Stunt work was done mainly by the cast. The fight sequence between Gigandet and Pattinson's characters in a ballet studio, which was filmed during the first week of production, involved a substantial amount of wire work because the vampires in the story have superhuman strength and speed. Gigandet incorporated
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
fighting moves in this sequence, which involved chicken and honey as substitutes for flesh. Bella, the protagonist, is unconscious during these events, and since the novel is told from her point of view, such action sequences are illustrative and unique to the film. Pattinson noted that maintaining one's center of gravity is difficult when doing wire work "because you have to really fight against it as well as letting it do what it needs to do." Lefèvre found the experience disorienting since the forward motion was out of her control. Instead of shooting at Forks High School itself, scenes taking place at the school were filmed at Kalama High School and Leodis V. McDaniel High School. Other scenes were filmed in St. Helens, and Hardwicke conducted some reshooting in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, in August. ''Twilight'' was originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on December 12, 2008, but its release date was changed to November 21 after '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' was rescheduled for an opening in July 2009. Two teaser trailers, as well as some additional scenes, were released for the film, as well as a final trailer, which was released on October 9. A 15-minute excerpt of ''Twilight'' was presented during the International Rome Film Festival in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. The film received a rating of PG-13 from the
Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
for "some violence and a scene of sensuality". After the film's finalization, Hardwicke published the '' Twilight: Director's Notebook'' on March 17, 2009.


Music

The score for ''Twilight'' was composed by Carter Burwell, with the rest of the soundtrack chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. Meyer was consulted on the soundtrack, which includes music by
Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
and
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
, bands she listened to while writing the novels. The original soundtrack was released on November 4, 2008, by Chop Shop Records in conjunction with
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. It debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200.


Release


Box office

''Twilight'' grossed over $7 million in ticket sales from midnight showings alone on November 21, 2008. The film is fifth overall on
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
's list of top advance ticket sales, outranked only by its sequel the following year, '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005), '' The Dark Knight'' (2008), and '' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' (2009). It grossed $35.7 million on its opening day. For its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, ''Twilight'' accumulated $69.6 million from 3,419 theaters at an average of $20,368 per theater. The film grossed $192,769,854 in the United States and Canada, and $214,417,861 in international territories for a total of $407,187,715. Its opening weekend gross was the highest ever of a female-directed film, surpassing that of '' Deep Impact'' (1998).


Critical reception

Based on 223 reviews collected by
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has a rating of 48% and a weighted average score of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Having lost much of its bite transitioning to the big screen, ''Twilight'' will please its devoted fans, but do little for the uninitiated." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, it has a weighted mean score of 56 based on 38 reviews from film critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. ''
New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...
'' critic Armond White called the film "a genuine pop classic", and praised Hardwicke for turning " Meyer's book series into a Brontë-esque vision."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "I saw it at a sneak preview. Last time I saw a movie in that same theater, the audience welcomed it as an opportunity to catch up on gossip, texting, and laughing at private jokes. This time the audience was rapt with attention". In his review for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', Kenneth Turan wrote, "''Twilight'' is unabashedly a romance. All the story's inherent silliness aside, it is intent on conveying the magic of meeting that one special person you've been waiting for. Maybe it is possible to be 13 and female for a few hours after all". ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' gave the film two out of four stars and Claudia Puig wrote, "Meyer is said to have been involved in the production of ''Twilight'', but her novel was substantially more absorbing than the unintentionally funny and quickly forgettable film". ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave the film a "B" rating and Owen Gleiberman praised Hardwicke's direction: "She has reconjured Meyer's novel as a cloudburst mood piece filled with stormy skies, rippling hormones, and understated visual effects". Stewart's performance as Bella received mixed reviews. Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' called her acting "wooden" and her facial expressions throughout the film "blank", while Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' praised her, calling her "the ideal casting choice" and thought she portrayed "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it" well.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
called Pattinson "well-chosen" for Edward, while Manohla Dargis of ''The New York Times'' called him "capable and exotically beautiful". Both he and Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob, were nominated for Best Male Breakthrough Performance at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards; the award ultimately went to Pattinson.


Home media

The film was released on DVD in North America on March 21, 2009, through midnight release parties, and sold over 3 million units in its first day. It was released on April 6, 2009, in the UK. Bonus features include about 10 to 12 extended or deleted scenes, montages and music videos, behind-the-scenes interviews, a "making-of" segment, and commentary featuring Hardwicke, Stewart, and Pattinson. The
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
disc edition of the film was released on March 21, 2009, in select locations, but was made more widely available at further retailers on May 5, 2009. As of July 2012, the film has sold 11,242,519 units, earning $201,190,019. The film and the next two installments of the Twilight Saga were rereleased as a triple feature with extended cuts on January 13, 2015. Twilight was released on 4K Blu-ray on October 23, 2018.


Video game

A film trivia video game developed by Screenlife Games and published by
Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
for the Wii,
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
, PC and
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
was released alongside the second film.


Accolades

Since its release, ''Twilight'' has received numerous nominations and awards. In January 2009, Carter Burwell was nominated for Film Composer of the Year by the International Film Music Critics Association. Robert Pattinson won Bravo TV's A-List Award for A-List Breakout. At the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Pattinson, who was nominated alongside Taylor Lautner, also won an award for Male Breakthrough Performance, " Decode" was nominated for Best Song from a Movie, ''Twilight'' won an award for Best Movie, Kristen Stewart won for Best Female performance, Stewart and Pattinson were awarded Best Kiss, and Pattinson and Cam Gigandet won an award for Best Fight.
Christian Serratos Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( ; name at birth, born Bernardi on September 21, 1990) is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Rosita Espinosa in AMC's ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the ...
won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actress. For the 2009
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
, held on August 9, the film and its actors received a combined total of 12 nominations, nine of which the film won. At the 2009 Scream Awards, the film was nominated for nine awards, four of which it won. The film won two ALMA Awards for makeup and hairstyling. It also won the Public Choice Award at the
World Soundtrack Awards The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001, are the annual awards for best Film score, film music, presented during the Film Fest Gent. The World Soundtrack Academy supports the art of film music through cultural, educational and professional ac ...
, where Carter Burwell was also nominated for Composer of the Year. Catherine Hardwicke received a Young Hollywood Award for her directing. In addition, the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film at the 35th Saturn Awards and two Grammy Awards.


Extended edition

In 2015, Lionsgate released an extended edition that was over 4 minutes longer. It edits into the movie scenes already released as "Deleted Scenes" on previous DVD releases.


Sequel

MTV reported in February 2008 that Summit Entertainment intended to create a series of at least three films based on Meyer's books. The studio had optioned '' New Moon'', the second book in the series, by October 2008, and confirmed their plans to make a film based on it November 22, 2008. Because Catherine Hardwicke had wanted more preparation time than Summit's schedule for the production and release of the sequel would provide, Chris Weitz was selected to direct it in December 2008.


See also

* Apotamkin, Bella's Google hit for the cold ones * Vampire film


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight 2008 films 2000s adventure films 2000s high school films 2000s romantic fantasy films 2000s teen romance films American baseball films Supernatural drama films American fantasy adventure films American high school films American romantic fantasy films American teen romance films Films directed by Catherine Hardwicke Films scored by Carter Burwell Films set in Phoenix, Arizona Films set in Washington (state) Films shot in Los Angeles County, California Films shot in Oregon Films shot in Washington (state) Films with screenplays by Melissa Rosenberg Summit Entertainment films Temple Hill Entertainment films Teen adventure films 2000s teen fantasy films 1 American vampire films Films produced by Wyck Godfrey 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language romantic fantasy films English-language adventure films Teen Choice Award winning films