Kristen Stewart and Kate Winslet to Help Oversee New 'Twilight' Short Films

And you thought The Twilight Saga was over with Breaking Dawn? The franchise has spawned a seemingly endless stream of fan-fics and shorts from its obsessed devoted base, and now five of them will get a chance to continue the romance between Bella and Edward as part of a new project put together by author Stephenie Meyer and Lionsgate.

Five aspiring female filmmakers will be chosen to direct short films based on the Twilight characters as part of a project called 'The Storytellers -- New Creative Voices of 'The Twilight Saga,'. The movies will debut on Facebook, with the winners selected by a panel that includes Meyer, Kristen Stewart, Octavia Spencer, Julie Bowen, Kate Winslet, Frozen director Jennifer Lee, producer Cathy Schulman, and Catherine Hardwicke. They'll also help oversee the films and mentor the budding directors, but sadly don't expect to see K-Stew starring returning as Bella. None of the original cast is expected to reprise their roles, but does that mean somebody like Winslet COULD appear? Probably not, but you never know.

Twilight aside, this is a pretty good way to help build the next generation of female directors, and don't be surprised if some of the winners go on to some pretty big things. Check out the full press release below:

VANCOUVER, BC, and SANTA MONICA, CA -- September 30, 2014 -- As part of its ongoing effort to enhance its diverse portfolio of premium content, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, is teaming with Facebook, the prestigious Women In Film organization, the crowdsourcing platform Tongal and best-sellingTwilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer to create and manage a social media campaign to develop and produce a series of short films directed by aspiring female filmmakers. The campaign, called “The Storytellers – New Creative Voices of The Twilight Saga,” will include films based on a broad spectrum of characters from the Twilight universe, with guidance provided by Meyer’s encyclopedic The Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide.

The campaign will center on a multiphase contest culminating in the selection of at least five aspiring female filmmakers to direct short films based on characters from the Twilight universe. The films will be produced and directed with the mentorship of a blue chip panel of advisors, which will ultimately select the winning shorts that will premiere exclusively on the Facebook platform next year. The star-studded group of female panelists will include Stephenie Meyer, actress Kristen Stewart, Academy Award winners Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Lee, the award-winning writer and one of the directors of Disney’s global blockbuster Frozen, Twilightdirector Catherine Hardwicke, Emmy Award-winning actress Julie Bowen, and Women In Film President Cathy Schulman.

Five winning shorts will be financed through production advances, and fans will help select a grand prize winning filmmaker who will receive a cash prize and career opportunities. The short film development and production process will involve extensive fan engagement on the Facebook and Tongal platforms.

“More people than ever before are creating, discovering and engaging with videos on Facebook,” said Facebook Vice President of Partnerships Dan Rose. “This collaboration with Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate and Women In Film is a great opportunity to engage Twilight’s massive global audience on Facebook through an innovative premium video program.”

“We’re delighted to expand our longstanding relationship with Stephenie and confident that her participation in theTwilight short films campaign will add an exciting new dimension to the incredible world she has created as an author and producer,” said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer and Vice Chairman Michael Burns. “Our partnership with Facebook and Women In Film underscores the opportunities for growing our franchises in exciting new directions, and we’re pleased to introduce fresh creative talent to the Twilight universe as part of our commitment to female empowerment in front of and behind the camera.”

“Accessing Hollywood is a momentous challenge, especially for aspiring female filmmakers, so I‘m thrilled that Women In Film has been invited to join Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate and Facebook to empower new storytellers with diverse voices,” said WIF President Cathy Schulman. “Women In Film is proud to help recruit and mentor female filmmakers as part of a project that illustrates the power of a beloved book and movie franchise to lessen the gender gap in our film community and provide a platform for women’s perspectives to be seen and heard.”

"The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I've worked in the film industry,” said Meyer. “I’m honored to be working with Women In Film, Lionsgate, and Facebook on a project dedicated to giving more women a chance to be heard creatively.”

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Rodrigo Cortes goes 'Down a Dark Hall'; Peter Chelsom heads 'Out of this World'; and More

Rodrigo Cortes is re-teaming with his Buried screenwriter Chris Sparling for Down a Dark Hall, an adaptation of Lois Duncan's novel about "Kit Gordy as she starts at an elite boarding school where dark powers lurk and her personal destiny hangs in the balance."Perhaps the most interesting thing about this project is the involvement of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer as a producer.

Before he directed Simon Pegg in Hector and the Pursuit of Happiness, which opens next month, Peter Chelsom had only directed two movies in the last ten years. He seems to be hitting a groove now though as he's already signed on for his next film, a sci-fi family movie titled Out of this World. And much like 'Hector' this one is also a road movie, only it follows a boy who has returned to Earth after being raised on Mars by scientists. In an effort to find his biological father he road trips across the U.S. with a female companion. [Deadline]

Seven Pounds director Gabriele Muccino has also agreed to helm a sci-fi film, Near Death, about "a near-death survivor who starts predicting future events and acting in bizarre ways while his wife notices the world itself changing all around her in impossible ways. Fearing for her sanity, she investigates and uncovers a massive conspiracy that bridges space and time." Carter Blanchard (Independence Day 2) wrote the script with production to begin in October. [Variety]

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Saoirse Ronan to star in The Host, based on book by Twilight author Stephanie Meyer

Saoirse Ronan is a scary good actress. Probably one of the best we have right now regardless of age. She just recently kicked plenty of ass in Joe Wright's hit-kid flick, Hanna, and we await word on her possible involvement in The Hobbit. As if that wasn't big enough for her, she's about to jump into dual roles as part of The Host, which is based on a novel by Stephanie Meyer.

That's right, Meyer wrote other crap besides Twilight, and if you think that tepid battle between vamps and hairy Native Americans is bonkers, check out the plot for The Host, provided by Deadline...

Melanie Stryder,  is one of the last humans putting up a fight against an alien species called Souls. These parasites invade human bodies, fuse to each person's consciousness and systematically erase their personalities. Melanie is captured by the aliens and implanted by a Soul called Wanderer, something of a legend because of all of the "hosts" she has attached to on numerous planets. Wanderer's goal is to get Melanie to give up the remaining pockets of humans, but instead the alien finds Melanie to be unique in her unwillingness to surrender her consciousness. Wanderer is so overwhelmed by Melanie's memories and feelings, the alien is driven to reconnect with Melanie's old life.

Ronan will be taking on both roles of Melanie and Wanderer, which should provide a unique challenge for the actress. Meyer wrote the novel back in 2008, and when we last reported on the adaptation, Susanna White(Nanny McPhee Returns) was going to be at the helm with Andrew Niccol(Gattaca) scripting. Well that's all changed. White is out, and Niccol, who Meyer had wanted to direct all along, is now back as the lead contender for the job.


So it's more off-the-wall love stories for the teeny boppers to swoon over, only this one will be between a human and extraterrestrial. Or even more interesting, Ronan and Ronan. Meyer has said that she'd like to turn The Host into a trilogy of novels, so could this be her next big film franchise as well?

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DREAMGIRLS Director to Helm The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn?

It's looking more and more likely that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is going to get that A-list director Summit Entertainment has been desperately seeking. A few weeks ago there was a story that Summit had approached a number of top notch candidates to direct the final two films that would comprise Breaking Dawn. That list included Sofia Coppola(Lost in Translation), Bill Condon(Dreamgirls), Gus Van Sant(Paranoid Park), and Fernando Meirelles(City of God). Now Deadline is reporting that Condon has emerged as the lead dog to secure the job.

Condon has apparently had discussions with the studio that went very well, and he's been given the seal of approval by Twilight creator, Stephanie Meyer.

Well, Condon is certainly an interesting choice. I still think Coppola would be the best fit creatively, but I think it might actually be too high profile for her. From what I've heard, Breaking Dawn is an absolutely wild story, so I'm curious to see how he is going to approach it if all this pans out.

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