More ‘Breaking Dawn’ Details, CGI Renesmee?

Published by Jeff Leins on January 12, 2010

The Twilight series continues this June with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but all eyes (golden or otherwise) are on Summit Entertainment while they devise a plan for the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn.

Rumors have persisted that Summit is preparing to split Breaking Dawn in two parts, similar to Warner Bros’ decision to separate the seventh Harry Potter.  At over 750 pages, the controversial book has the most material to adapt.

In an interview with the LA Times, Twilight saga producer Wyck Godfrey confirmed ongoing discussions about two more movies, but said, “The issue [of whether there will be one or two movies] is not going to be resolved until we get the full treatment and see whether it’s organic.” Melissa Rosenberg, who scripted the first three films, is writing the fourth.

There were rumors (stemming from an E! blog) that Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight novel series, was against the possible split.  She clarified those false reports today in a blog post on her official website, StephenieMeyer.com.

Here’s an excerpt: “My personal feeling is that it would be very difficult to cram the whole story into one movie, but if a great way of doing that surfaces, I’m all for it. Two or one, whichever way fits the story best is fine by me, and everyone I’ve spoken with at Summit seems to feel the same way.”

Godfrey suggested a tentative Fall 2010 start date for the production, which confirms what Robert Pattinson said in November.  No director has been hired yet, and regarding the rumors of a Chris Weitz return the producer said, “I think everyone would be happy and excited if he came back, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Minor spoilers below:
The LAT also asked how Summit plans to include Renesmee, Bella and Edward’s half human/half vampire baby that possesses the ability to grow faster than the average infant.

“I keep having visions of ‘[The Curious Case of] Benjamin Button’ in my head,”Godfrey said, adding that Renesmee will almost certainly be an actor blended or affected with CGI. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being a full CG creation, but it also may be a human shot on a soundstage that then is used to shrink down.” It’s a natural comparison since the characters of Benjamin and Renesmee are in similar fantasy predicaments.

2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won the Oscar for visual effects using a technology called “Contour,” a futuristic camera system created by former Apple engineer Steve Perlman.  Contour allowed director David Fincher to capture the detailed facial movements of Brad Pitt, not just plotted points, and transfer the digital, photorealistic images to computers. However, it’s highly unlikely Summit will land Fincher, for various reasons the least of which is his busy schedule.

The visual effects will depend on the director’s take on the Renesmee character and his/her familiarity with the technique.  More importantly, will Summit fork over the budget for something that advanced?