Looks like Summit Entertainment is getting closer to choosing their director for the final installment in the Twilight franchise, Breaking Dawn, as Deadline reports that Bill Condon has emerged as a frontrunner after several meetings with the studio. Condon, you might remember, was one of several A-list directors the studio was eying with regards to the final chapter, which may be split up into two parts. Others on the list included Sofia Coppola and Gus Van Sant, but Condon – who's directed films like Dreamgirls and Gods and Monsters – is now front and center.
The choice to bring on Condon definitely means Summit wants to try to legitimize the final installment(s) in this franchise, and to try to prove to the world outside those hardcore fans that this franchise deserves the press, deserves the box office records and deserves the Oscar-caliber filmmakers. In order for Condon to take on the gig, he'll have to forego directing duties (at least for the time being) on the adaptation of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which was supposed to be his next film. He's also working on a Richard Pryor biopic starring Marlon Wayans.
Both of those, however, could be pretty far off should Condon take on the heavy task of shooting back-to-back Twilight movies this fall, with a possibility of them being in 3D, too. Considering the rough content in that final book, it's a smart move for Summit to go after an established director who knows his way around touchy material.
What do you think about Bill Condon directing Breaking Dawn? Good choice, or a bad one? And does this mean Summit will try to push to get Breaking Dawn an Oscar nomination considering they're choosing a director whose films have been nominated many times before?
