Taylor Lautner on Rob Pattinson: 'Sadly, we don't hate each other'

In May, Hero Complex contributor Gina McIntyre traveled north to Vancouver, Canada, to visit the set of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and talk to the creative minds behind one of the most anticipated films of 2009. This week, as we count down to the release of the vampy sequel -- which is now screening everywhere -- McIntyre gives us daily dispatches from her trip. Today's final post in the series is a Q&A with Jacob Black himself, 17-year-old actor Taylor Lautner.

 

 GM: I understand you did a lot of your own stunts in the film. 

T.L.: Yeah, I’m very lucky. I’m thankful that the stunt coordinators have some interest in me and they actually trust me. I got to do all my dirt bike riding. A lot of times I’m just standing on set and I’m looking around going, "What can I do that will look really cool and will give me some action in this film?" I’ll usually just find things and ask them if I can do it. They’re like, "Taylor, you can’t get hurt, but OK, go ahead." That’s where most of the stunts come from, but I’m really surprised they let me do all the dirt bike riding myself.

GM:  Had you done that before?

TL: No, not really, I did it when I was a little kid like once but then when I heard that they were wondering if I knew how to dirt bike ride before I came up here, I met with a friend of mine in L.A. who has some dirt bikes and did two practice days. I had a couple of practice days up here with the stunt guys and then just shot it. I don’t know how cool it looked, but I didn’t get hurt.

GM: What other stunts did you dream up for yourself?

TL: Jacob, in the books he’s described pre-transformation as very clumsy and he trips over his own feet. As soon as he transforms [into a werewolf] he becomes very agile. That’s what I wanted to show in the film. At first he’s just a normal kid, jogs up to Bella, then when he transforms all of a sudden he’s just hopping around the place, has incredible balance, can do cool things. So if we’re in the middle of a forest, I’ll be like, What can I hop over? What can I hop off of? How can I show Jacob’s agility after his transformation into a wolf?

GM: How distressing was all the talk of whether you’d come back for in the role for "New Moon" and when did you start taking steps to prove that you could continue on as the character?

TL: I knew when I was filming "Twilight" that Jacob’s character goes in a different direction. He transforms not only mentally and emotionally but physically as well. As soon as I was done filming "Twilight," I literally got home and that day I went into the local gym and was like, I need a trainer because I need to get to big. I moved around gyms quite a bit and moved trainers and finally found one that I worked with the whole time almost. It required a lot of dedication, the fans and the whole series and the character motivated me, and I did it. It was a lot of hard work. I had to be in the gym a lot and I had to eat a lot, but I’m very thankful that I did it because it’s definitely worth it now.

GM:  How long did it take?

TL: About a year.

GM: How many hours a day did you work out?

TL: It kind of differed. Now, it’s best for me just to do about an hour and a half at most a day because there was this one period of time where I put on a lot of weight and then all of a sudden I started losing it. I was dropping weight and I was like, "What’s going on, why am I losing all this weight I put on?" What I found out is that I was actually overworking myself. I was not taking days off. I was just going seven days in a row and I was in the gym for 21/2 hours a day. I was just burning more calories than I was taking in, so I was losing weight and that’s definitely not what I needed to do.

GM: Were you on a specific diet?

TL: At one point, my trainer was literally like, "We need to get some fat on your body so then we can transfer that fat into muscle." I was 71/2% body fat and we just couldn’t build upon that. He would be like, "Eat as much as you can. We just need to get calories in your body." That was for a short period of time. Definitely when it got closer to filming, it was strictly meat and protein and vegetables, egg whites. It’s not that bad at first, but when you have to have it every morning, then it starts becoming disgusting. And you have to be eating every two hours. It’s horrible. Everybody’s like, I’d kill for that job, to eat as much as possible. I’m like, go for it. For a year, you have to eat every two hours and very specific things; you try, see if you like it.

GM:  What else did you do to prepare for the role?

TL: I think the best way possible to prepare for the role is by reading the books because that’s what we’re going off of and we should be going off of those because that’s what the fans love so much. I read the book a couple of times before filming and I was really excited because Jacob’s character in "New Moon," he’s like a split personality. Half of the time, toward the beginning, he’s pre-transformation Jacob, where he’s just very sweet, very lovable, very outgoing. As soon as he transforms, he becomes a totally different person. I wanted to bring both of those sides of him to life. Also, it’s described in the book, he has three faces. That first face, the second face and his third face is called the combined face, that’s where he is the new kind of conflicted Jacob. But Bella sees through him to what he used to be and what she would love him to come back to. You have to bring all three of those faces to life.

GM:  How challenging was that?

TL: The most challenging part was some days I’ll actually film all three faces on one day. I’ll have to, in the morning, pop the wig on and be happy-go-lucky little Jacob and then after lunch I’ll have to rip the wig off and take all my clothes off and become scary, mean, conflicted Jacob. I’ll have to switch on a dime. That’s probably the most challenging part, but all actors love challenging themselves with their roles. Jacob’s definitely a great role to do that.

GM:  How much of yourself do you put into the character?

TL: I’d say a lot. What’s crazy is you actually become the character. It helps being surrounded by such talented actors, Kristen [Stewart] and Rob [Pattinson], and having an amazing director in Chris Weitz. It really helps.

GM:  Would you say that you have a lot in common with Jacob?

TL: In some ways. Jacob loves people, he loves being around people. I would say that’s similar to me.

GM:  What was it like to work with Chris Weitz on "New Moon" after working with Catherine Hardwicke on "Twilight"?

TL: Chris is so amazing. All the cast thinks so. We all get along so well and he’s so talented. It’s so relaxed. We’re not stressed and worried, but at the same time the outcome is great. Chris is so talented and easy to work with, I’d work with him for the rest of my life if I could. We did tons and tons of rehearsals with him, diving into the script... The fact that I was surrounded by Kristen [Stewart] and Chris and everybody behind us was a major help for those extremely emotional scenes.

 

GM:  How would you characterize your relationship with Kristen?

TL: It’s so funny. We have such a similar relationship to Bella and Jacob. We’re very close. We get along so well. We’re so open with each other. We can talk about anything. We can be completely open and honest with each other and discuss anything and everything whenever we went. We were always discussing Jacob and Bella’s relationship.

GM:  What about the other members of the wolf pack? Did you do some pack bonding?

TL: We did a few nights. They weren’t up here a ton, but when they were we went out to dinner, I went out to a movie with them and they’re really great guys. They are a lot of fun. They keep the set alive. They’re funny, they got energy.

GM:  And Rob?

TL: Sadly, we don’t hate each other. We definitely can switch that on and off. It is fun. I have nothing against the guy, I think he’s great, but when you’re living Jacob and I’m experiencing that pain and I know that he’s in the way of what I want, then it’s really not that hard to be pretty [annoyed] at him.

GM:  Have you gotten accustomed to the frenzied fan reaction that the series inspires?

TL: I don’t know if you can get used to it. You can’t really get surprised anymore because you’ve seen just about everything. We understand and have seen all of the passion and dedication in the fans so it’s not like we’re going to see something crazy and be like, "Wow, we have crazy fans." We know that. It’s fantastic. We wouldn’t be here without them but they’re everywhere. You’re always experiencing the fans. Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. I don’t know if you get used to it or not.

GM:  How many times have you been asked about the status of the "Breaking Dawn" movie?

TL: A few times, and I wish I could give an answer. I really do.

-- Gina McIntyre

RECENT AND RELATED

'New Moon' premiere shines in Westwood

LA TIMES REVIEW: "New Moon" not as good as first film

'Twilight' producer: Lautner is going to blow people away with his acting

Robert Pattinson, object of obsession

"New Moon" and "Lawrence of Arabia"? Let Chris Weitz explain

'Twilight' screenwriter says second film is better

Stephenie Meyer and the future of 'Midnight Sun'

Robert Pattinson talks about his career 'backup plan'

Photos: Top, bottom, "New Moon" premiere. Credit: Associated Press; second from top, Taylor Lautner. Credit Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times; third from top, "New Moon" scene. Credit: Summit Entertainment. 

Robert Pattinson, object of obsession

"TWILIGHT: NEW MOON" COUNTDOWN

Yvonne Villarreal is a contributor to Hero Complex who may or may not be obsessed with a certain actor who appears in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which opens Friday. She sent in this report on a new documentary that promises "All Areas Accessed."

I've been doing my homework with the new breathless documentary "Robsessed."

For instance, I now know that when Robert Pattinson was a child, his sisters dressed him up in girls' clothes and called him Clare.

I also know that Rob is the youngest of three kids, that his father imported vintage cars from the States and that his mum pulled a paycheck as the booker at a model agency. This is important stuff here, revelatory factoids that will help me prepare the all-important small talk when Rob brings me home to meet his parents.

People make fun of Rob's disheveled hair, but it's gorgeous chaos if you ask me. It's more than mere fashion affectation -- "Robsessed" reveals that Rob once won an award at school for the messiest desk. That makes me think he's a naturally rough-around the-edges soul. It also makes me wonder whether I should have gone to school in England.

Rob was born on May 13, which means he shares a birthday with Stevie Wonder, "Maude" actress Bea Arthur, boxing legend Joe Louis and cult leader Jim Jones, but he has much better hair than any of those people. His middle name is Thomas, which is much better than Clare.

The 70-minute "Robsessed" was directed by Irene Antoniades, who apparently couldn't get people who know Rob well to sit down for extended interviews. Most of the screen time is given to British magazine editors who’ve had brief encounters with the actor. There are interviews with his acting teacher and former costar Anne Reid ("The Bad Mother's Handbook") but no childhood friends nor any old girlfriends who might have broken up with him (maybe they're all locked up in insane asylums). A woman who once saw him at a pub gets some air time, which suggests that this isn't exatcly a Ken Burns production. I myself am not in it, but other “superfans” offer their expert opinion on his dreaminess.

It's not all sunny tidbits: It shows that Rob was cast to play Reese Witherspoon’s son in 2004’s "Vanity Fair," but his scenes were -- gasp! -- cut out.  And British film critic Kim Newman makes some intelligent points, suggesting the hysteria surrounding Pattinson has more to do with the Edward Cullen than the actor himself. Yeah, right. Put Carrot Top in the movie and girls would be chasing him down the street, too...

I can recommend "Robsessed" because it also includes some early modeling shots of Pattinson in boxer shorts and black socks. The movie also devotes screen time to an in-depth analysis of Rob's famous coif -- which it weirdly describes as “finger-lickingly good hair”? I can't wait to ask him about that one.

-- Yvonne Villarreal

RECENT AND RELATED

Stephenie Meyer breaks silence on "Oprah"

Vampy sounds: Todd Martens reviews "New Moon" soundtrack

'Twilight: New Moon' exclusive: Three dozen photos from the set

Stephenie Meyer is immortalized...in a comic book

'Vampire Diaries' and Hollywood's undying love for fang fantasy

Stephenie Meyer and the future of 'Midnight Sun'

Robert Pattinson talks about his career 'back-up plan'

'Twilight' fans can be a bit ... intense

Photo credit: Revolver Entertainment

'Twilight: New Moon' exclusive: Three dozen photos from the set with Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart

I was talking to David Strick just last week about bringing Hero Complex readers more exclusive photos from the sets of Hollywood films both past and present, and he promised to dig into his considerable archive to do just that. Strick is the driving force behind Hollywood Backlot, an amazing corner of the Los Angeles Times website that takes readers onto the soundstages of Tinseltown to show stars and filmmakers at work on tomorrow's classics.

Strick has a major new exclusive at Backlot today: He was on the Vancouver set of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and came back with 37 photos of Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, new  director Chris Weitz and other principals in the project that reaches theaters on Nov. 20. Check out the new photos right here. 

-- Geoff Boucher

RECENT AND RELATED

"New Moon" trailer: Fans are gearing up

'Vampire Diaries' and Hollywood's undying love for fang fantasy

Stephenie Meyer and the future of 'Midnight Sun'

Report from Forks, Wash., the 'Twilight' town

'Near Dark' remake shelved because of ...'Twilight'?

Robert Pattinson talks about his career 'back-up plan'

Guillermo del Toro talks "The Strain" and "Frankenstein"

'Twilight' fans can be a bit ... intense

Photo credit: David Strick

'New Moon' trailer: Fans are gearing up

Buried underneath Kanye West's dastardly spotlight-hogging stunt with poor Taylor Swift during last night's MTV Video Music Awards was Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson taking to the stage at Radio City Music Hall to give the audience a sneak peek of the newest "New Moon" movie trailer.  Here it is:

Looks action-packed, but don't most trailers?  It got a sizable helping of hype, but fared better than the "Avatar" release.  They are, of course, decidely different audiences, but the fervor surrounding them was similar.  We got a few glimpses of Dakota Fanning and the Volturi along with the shirtless ones (Taylor, RPatz), enough to appease the squeal squads. Sites like Twilightsource.com got early looks, but even for the fans of the movie that may not be as hard-core with the books or the fandom surrounding "The Twilight Saga," it looked enticing.

Just giving Hero Complexers a look.  What do you think of the trailer, and can Chris Weitz's rendition draw you if you weren't already a fan?

-- Jevon Phillips

RECENT AND RELATED

'Breaking Dawn' will happen, here's who should be director

'Vampire Diaries' and Hollywood's undying love for fang fantasy

Stephenie Meyer and the future of 'Midnight Sun'

Report from Forks, Wash., the 'Twilight' town

Robert Pattinson talks about his career 'back-up plan'

Guillermo del Toro talks "The Strain" and "Frankenstein"

'Twilight' fans can be a bit ... intense

'Twilight' at Comic-Con: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Chris Weitz and more introduce 'New Moon'

The shirts were off, the spoilers came fast and the "Twilight" fans lucky enough to attend a midafternoon panel on the film at San Diego's Comic-Con couldn't get enough. For many -- those who had camped out overnight -- the "New Moon" Q&A was The.Event.Of.Comic.Con.2009, as director Chris Weitz and stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Ashley Greene were all in attendance.

But first, a mini-review of the Comic-Con exclusive clips from the film (Note: This is a fan-centered write-up -- those not up on the "Twilight"-verse may be a little lost).

The first: A scene between Jacob and Bella just as she's learning to ride her motorcycle. In short, it's eye-candy central for "Twilight" fans. (This assessment is based purely on the number of ear-piercing screams that went off during two minutes of footage, of course.)

Bella is sunk and depressed but as she picks up speed, her visions of Edward admonishing her increase -- read: she whizzes by multiple hallucinations of Pattinson. Yessir, they've really managed to get around that whole Edward-being-gone-for-most-of-the-book thing. When she crashes, Jacob removes his shirt to stop the bleeding on her head. They have a charged moment.

Score one for Team Jacob.

Oh, but Team Edward comes back in full force for the second clip -- a surprising look at the climax of the film. Turns out Weitz really wanted to reward those who had camped out overnight for this because he brought never-before-seen footage of the moment when Bella rescues Edward from shirtless suicide in Italy.

It's a sea of red hoods in the middle of Venice's San Marco festival, with Bella pounding through the crowds toward the clock tower where she knows Edward is about to expose himself to the on-looking Volturi vampires. It's all slow-motion intensity, and Weitz should feel nothing but relieved that even a glimpse of Pattinson removing his shirt is enough to send these soon-to-be-ticket-holding moviegoers into a frenzy. Well played, sir, well played, indeed.

Now onto the questions -- the first one may very well be a panel-best. We did our best to transcribe as much of the interaction as we could.

Comic-Con: 'Twilight' stars face the press, with restrictions

 While thousands camped outside of the San Diego Convention Center for access to one of Comic-Con’s most anticipated panels -- an early-afternoon session devoted to a little franchise called “Twilight” -- its stars faced the press this morning just a few feet away at the Hilton Hotel.

The trio -- Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner -- arrived a fashionable 30 minutes late. Lautner looked a good 20 pounds bulkier than he did last year, Pattinson appeared shell-shocked, and Stewart arrived like the second coming of Joan Jett (the character she’s currently playing for the independent film “The Runaways”).

"I think last year Comic-Con was the big eye-opener for us," said Lautner, the only actor who appeared genuinely awake and eager to promote the next film in the series, “New Moon,” to the Comic-Con press corps.

“It's awesome that we get to see them all waiting for us again a year later," he added.

Pattinson had a different take on the franchise's rabid fans, acknowledging up front that “there’s no pleading ignorance [with the press] now. You actually have to have something to say.”

So what did the cast have to say?

Robert Pattinson has a Jedi Knight moment on 'New Moon' set

Our Gina McIntyre went north to Vancouver to spend two days on the set of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s vampire romance “Twilight.” The film isn’t due until Nov. 20, but her first-look story appears in the upcoming Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. Here’s an excerpt:

Robert Pattinson is having an Obi-Wan Kenobi moment. Inside a soundstage where "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is shooting, the lanky English heartthrob stands in front of a tall, wide green screen murmuring a tender admonition, "You promised me nothing reckless." Motion capture cameras hurtle toward him across a length of track affixed to the stage floor, while a team of technicians studies his stance and the tilt of his head.

The plan is to digitally insert Pattinson, who plays swoony good guy vampire Edward Cullen, into a scene that was filmed much earlier -- one in which he appears as a spectral vision to his costar, Kristen Stewart, cautioning her headstrong character, Bella Swan, against hanging out with some unsavory-looking biker types. For the effect to work, Pattinson's image will need to be dropped in at exactly the right position, so despite the cast and crew nearing the end of a very long early May day, perfectionism is still the standard.

The team working on this sequel to last year's Catherine Hardwicke-directed "Twilight," which brought in an unexpected $365 million worldwide for Summit Entertainment, is moving quickly to sustain the momentum of the sexy, youth-oriented franchise.

Between takes, Pattinson chats with the crew while director Chris Weitz stands several feet away, his arms folded behind his head. Visual effects, "that's not my thing," he concedes with a wry smile.

What does interest him is literature. Due in theaters Nov. 20, "New Moon" will mark his third consecutive literary adaptation after having directed "About a Boy," from the Nick Hornby novel, and "The Golden Compass," the big-budget fantasy based on the first chapter in author Philip Pullman's award-winning "His Dark Materials" series. It was his experience making that film -- which should have been a dream project really, given Weitz's reverence for the source material -- that made the idea of taking the reins on the second "Twilight" film so appealing.

During post-production on "Compass," Weitz was unable to persuade New Line Cinema to allow him to move forward with the ending he'd originally planned for the $180 million film, one that was decidedly grim but faithful to Pullman's vision. The movie was released with an alternate ending that the studio felt would be more satisfying to audiences, but something about the project failed to connect; it earned only $70 million domestically, though it did fare better overseas.

"It's one of the great sadnesses of my life that it didn't turn out the way I intended it," he says.

"New Moon," a story about surviving the ultimate heartbreak and loss, is Weitz's chance to heal his wounds and find a new creative path. It's a path that winds through the gloomy forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Italian village of Multepulciano. The last three days of the shoot will happen there, but before then, Weitz needs to complete the complicated camera maneuvers that will enable him to transform Pattinson's Edward into an apparition.

For anyone unfamiliar with the world of "Twilight," a primer: In author Stephenie Meyer's first tale, 17-year-old Bella Swan moves to Forks, Wash., to live with her small-town sheriff father. She soon falls for the mysterious Edward Cullen, a vampire who, like the rest of his extended "family," abstains from drinking human blood. In "New Moon," Edward opts to leave town to protect Bella -- whose proximity to these powerful supernatural creatures places her in almost constant danger -- but his decision leaves her broken and inconsolable.

She begins to regain her bearings spending time with her friend Jacob, but it's not long before his unrequited feelings for Bella and his own otherworldly nature become a source of real tension between them.

The film's success, driven by the unrelenting support of Meyer's fans, most of whom are teenage girls (but whose ranks also include some young men and moms), catapulted 19-year-old Stewart and 23-year-old Pattinson to a stratospheric level of stardom that seems to make both actors deeply uncomfortable.

Their reticence about fame is understandable: The nature of their off-screen relationship has become the subject of frequent tabloid speculation and, earlier this summer, Pattinson was grazed by a taxi in Manhattan where he was shooting the indie drama "Remember Me" after an overzealous mob crowded him, pushing him onto a city street.

These days, they've taken to declining a number of interviews, politely refusing to answer questions posed even by journalists visiting the set. Taylor Lautner, 17, who plays Jacob, hasn't experienced exactly the same sort of frenzy, but with his character moving to the forefront of the action in "New Moon," he soon might. There is, after all, an entire camp that argues that Bella should wind up with his character rather than the brooding Edward.

"I don't know if you can get used to it," the baby-faced Lautner says of the ardor the series inspires. "We have seen the passion and dedication in the fans. We wouldn't be here without them, but they're everywhere.

"You're always experiencing the fans," adds Lautner, who spent months in the gym training for his "New Moon" role. "Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming."

Many hours have been spent waiting for the sun to emerge from Vancouver's perpetual cloud bank. This week, Weitz and his team have been trying to film one of the few outdoor sequences that require bright natural light, but since the notoriously difficult British Columbian climate has refused to cooperate, the "New Moon" cast and crew are about to spend the better part of a 12-hour day inside the elaborate fiction of an Italianate marble hall complete with columns and engravings in Latin. Where else, after all, would the Volturi reside?

Today, that vampire ruling council is ruminating over the fate of Edward and Bella. Walking forward with his arms extended, Aro, played by British actor Michael Sheen, sporting blood-red contact lenses, offers a vaguely sinister greeting to his reluctant guests. The scene is replayed over and over, with Pattinson at one point leaving the set to consult with Weitz about a particular line of dialogue.

Standing by the monitors, the pair runs through a number of options while Stewart sits on the floor looking a little bored as she waits for the cameras to resume rolling. After several minutes, Pattinson, wearing a long, red robe and fake bruises painted beneath his eyes, returns to his mark and filming resumes...

READ THE REST

-- Gina McIntyre

RECENT AND RELATED

'Breaking Dawn' will happen, here's who should be director

'New Moon' begins to rise

Stephenie Meyer and the future of 'Midnight Sun'

Report from Forks, Wash., the 'Twilight' town

Robert Pattinson talks about his career 'back-up plan'

Stephenie Meyer wants to discuss ... mermaids?

"Twilight" images courtesy of Summit Pictures. Bottom photo of Robert Pattinson by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times.

'Twilight: New Moon' begins to rise

Are you a sucker for vampires? Here's the teaser poster for "Twilight: New Moon"...  

The sequel to "Twilight" hits theaters in November and finds Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) broken-hearted by the abrupt departure of her undead love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and then drawn to the charismatic Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). That puts Bella in the unsafe middle ground between two alluring souls who desire her heart as well between ancient enemies -- werewolves and vampires.

Hmm. I'm guessing this movie will do well with the journal-keeping crowd.

-- Geoff Boucher

RECENT AND RELATED

The "Orphanage" director?! The third "Twilight" might be super scary

"Twilight" struggle: The reason Catherine Hardwicke was fired

Stephenie Meyer and the future of "Midnight Sun"

Report from Forks, Wash., the "Twilight" town

Robert Pattinson talks about his career "backup plan"

Stephenie Meyer talks about ... mermaids?

Poster photo credit: James White / Summit Entertainment. Lower photo: Robert Pattinson. Credit: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times

Mutant movies, 'Twilight' and Mortal Kombat vs. DC, all in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's Everyday Hero report, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

Mutant possibilities: Remember the "X-Men" films? They sure seem like a looong time ago to Marc Graser, apparently, because he suggests that Fox is dragging its feet in getting its valuable mutant brigade back in theaters. To my mind, after Brett Ratner's lurching, messy finale to the X-trilogy, a bit of a break seemed like a good idea. Anyway, here's an excerpt from Graser's piece: "Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office. But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again. When the studio releases 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters. Fox is looking to change that, reducing the number of years between appearances of its power-possessing mutants by developing spinoffs that lead to a new series of sequels. Those include [1] 'X-Men: First Class': Josh Schwartz, who created the teen-friendly TV shows "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C.," is penning a script, based around the conceit of the 2006 comic of the same name, that focuses on the young mutants enrolled at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Books revolved around the Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman and Beast characters, which already have been featured in the three previous "X-Men" films. [2] "Magneto": "Batman Begins" co-scribe David S. Goyer is attached to direct the origins story of the "X-Men" arch-villain (played by Ian McKellen in the previous pics) and his relationship with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Both characters would be played by younger actors, given the earlier timeline in which the plot takes place. And [3] "Deadpool," which would revolve around the sarcastic mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine," should the character in that pic prove popular with auds." [Daily Variety]

Funny books? Funny how?: Here's the latest snapshot of the comics marketplace, pulled from the quite thorough sales report over at ICV2: "Event books remained the bestsellers at the top of the chart, with 'Secret Invasion' #7 (154,675 copies) and 'Final Crisis' #4 (115,666 copies) taking the top two spots. There seemed to be an unusually high percentage of late books among the top sellers, with no September issues for nine of the top 25 titles (six DC and three Marvel). Marvel had a fairly typical seven out of the top ten titles, and 17 of the top 25.  There were no titles not published by the Big Two in the top 25 comics list.  In fact, to find a non-Big Two title you have to look all the way down to #65 and #66, where IDW’s new 'G.I. Joe' comic (two covers, 50/50) and 'Angel: After the Fall' landed, to find anything from another publisher." [ICV2]

Gleaming "Twilight": The young, female moviegoers of America have spoken: "Twilight" is, like, to die for. The numbers from Carl DiOrio: "Preliminary estimates show the youthful vampire romance rang up a huge first-day tally of $35.7 million from Friday. The big first day gross — which included a multi-million-dollar haul from midnight Thursday performances — makes a $70 million-plus opening likely for the PG-13 pic. In a highly unusual move, Summit itself on Saturday morning projected a possible three-day tally of $74.3 million. The fledgling producer/distributor also said in a separate press release Saturday that it already has greenlighted a 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon.' 'Moon' will be based on the second of a series of best-selling 'Twilight' books by Stephenie Meyer. 'I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment,' Meyer said. 'I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again.' " [Hollywood Reporter]

Spineless, but fun: Gamer Ben Fritz tried out the high-concept "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" and comes away with a smirk and that suspicion that, despite unpolished gameplay, Midway could have a much-needed hit with the rock 'em, sock 'em holiday season release. Here's his smartly written review: "Though the game features 11 of the most popular 'Mortal Kombat' characters, players will likely care more about the equal number of superheroes and villains who have never been in an arcade-style fighter before. Whether it's Superman's freeze breath, Wonder Woman spinning her enemies in a lasso, Green Lantern conjuring a giant hammer or the Joker's electric hand-buzzer, "MK vs. DC" does them right by giving each dozens of satisfying, character-specific moves. Some longtime franchise fans may be disappointed, though, that 'Mortal Kombat's' signature bloody 'fatalities' — the most infamous of which featured a spine ripped out of someone's body — are distinctly less gory here and have been downgraded to heroic brutalities for the DC heroes. (And it's annoying that learning these requires either guesswork or looking them up on the Web.)" [Daily Variety]

More "Twilight" ... Edward, onward: I read that Robert Pattison doesn't own a cellphone, which is probably a good thing because 12-year-old girls get so nervous when they work up the nerve to crank call that they usually just giggle, hang up and text the phone number to their friends. Pattison, who seems charmingly bewildered by the "Twilight" sensation, will be talking to his fans from space this morning: "Robert Pattinson, star of 'Twilight' will sit down for an interview with The Morning Mash Up crew on SIRIUS Hits 1/SIRIUS channel 1 on Monday, November 24.  The 7a.m. ET interview will be rebroadcast on Monday, November 24 at 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am ET. For more information and video highlights of the interview (available at 11:00 am ET), please visit:  www.sirius.com/hits1."  [Sirius press release]

"Iron Man 2," the writer's view: Movie blogger Jenna Busch chatted with Justin Theroux the actor (remember him as Evil DJ in "Zoolander"?) turned screenwiter ("Tropic Thunder") who is just back from London where he was working with Marvel Studio's exec Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr. on the protean early draft of an "Iron Man 2" script. "We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing 'Sherlock Holmes,' he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times." The Busch post is mostly about the "Tropic Thunder" release on DVD/BluRay, but Theroux also touched on the arrival of Don Cheadle to the "Iron Man" cast: "I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character ... making it fit just right." And who will the villian be in the "Iron Man" sequel? "I think it’s Evil DJ.  He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out." [Ugo]

-- Geoff Boucher

"X-Men First Class" art courtesy of Marvel Comics. "Twlight" photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment. Robert Pattison photo from Getty Images. "Iron Man" image from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures.

'Spider-Man 4,' 'Twilight,' Superman vs. Brainiac in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Everyone knows that Spider-Man is going to the theater stage, but now it appears the theater is also coming to Spider-Man. Work continues on the Spidey musical for Broadway (which at a reported $40 million will be the most expensive production in the history of theater) but in the meantime an acclaimed writer of stage drama is coming over to the webslinger's massively successful movie franchise. Borys Kit has the trades announcement this morning: "David Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer in 2007 for his drama 'Rabbit Hole,' is in final negotiations to write 'Spider-Man 4' for Columbia. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character. Plot details are under lock and key. Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the 'Spider-Man' movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's 'Paper Moon' and 1980's 'Ordinary People,' served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on 'Spider-Man 2.'... Lindsay-Abaire's 'Rabbit Hole,' which starred Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly, hit the Broadway stage in 2006 and won four Tonys, including best play. The writer also is known for the play 'Fuddy Meers.'" [Hollywood Reporter]

Twilight, Twi-bright, first vamp I see tonight: I'm not sure the world is prepared for how huge "Twilight" is going to be, at least if Internet activity is any sort of predictor of movie box-office grosses. Today's "Twilight" update: Rotten Tomatoes now has a massive 93-image photo gallery from the movie (um, isn't that pretty much the whole movie?) while Gina McIntyre has an interview with Robert Pattinson on the fang-mania. "'It’s happened since the day it got said that I was playing the part,' Pattinson said, running his hands through his hair. 'It was like a day when it changed. [People went from saying] ‘Are you the guy from ‘Harry Potter’? to ‘It’s Edward!’ It’s really, really strange.' When asked if he thinks he’ll ever become accustomed to that aspect of his newfound celebrity, he simply replied, 'No. It’s just a certain amount of acceptance, I guess. The only kind of strange thing is when you get photographed...I don’t think you’d ever get used to that. You can’t really live normally when that’s happening.' " [Entertainment News and Buzz, Los Angeles Times]

Brainiac, the smart-guy choice: Brandon Routh is doing a lot of press right now because of his role in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and in an interview with Robert Sanchez the subject turned to the next Superman movie. Routh hopes to wear the cape again and he would like to a certain city-shrinking, green-skinned evil genius as the heavy. "I think there are a lot of things you could do with Brainiac. He's been given a lot of power and a lot of different abilities over the years in the comics, as far as I understand. I know that DC is working on a Brainiac storyline that they are excited about and I think combining the two and have that flow between the comics and the movie would be a nice thing. I honestly think there are a lot of interesting things you can do with Brainiac. Controlling people, controlling technology, a lot of cool things." [IESB]

Fear is good: Tonight is the L.A. opening night of "Fear(s) of the Dark," which i've been hearing great things about. (Guillermo Del Toro gushed about it: "Rusty alleyways and vaporous ghosts painted by the masters of dread. Razor-sharp images that will slice your eye and nest there forever. Thrilling, disturbing and haunting. Bring the kids!")
Here's the description from the folks at IFC: "A wildly inventive and visually dazzling collection of fearful tales by six of the world’s most renowned comic and graphic artists. Featuring the cutting-edge talents of Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire, 'Fear(s) of the Dark' was featured at the Sundance, Rotterdam, Los Angeles, and 'Rendez-vous with French Cinema' film festivals. 'Fear(s) of the Dark' will open in Los Angeles on October 31st at Landmark's Nuart Theatre [11272 Santa Monica Boulevard] followed by a national roll-out. The artists featured have all drawn from their own fertile imaginations –- and worst nightmares –- to tell their tales. From a besotted student whose girlfriend is weirdly ardent in her affections, to a Japanese schoolgirl menaced by a long-dead samurai, and a pack of hounds on a bloodthirsty rampage, 'Fear(s)' has a story strand to trouble every sleep –- not to mention a stunning range of animation styles. Shot in shimmering black and white, the six intertwined tales create an unprecedented epic where phobias and nightmares come to life and reveal Fear at its most naked and intense." [press release]

X-Halloween: Tim O'Shea has an interview with Jeff Parker about "Giant Size X-Men: First Class," the Marvel new release with some fun Halloween touches, such as the Beast starting an (ahem) X-Files sort of paranormal investigations. Parker described his fave parts of the book: " 'Dean Haspiel drawing Bobby Drake, making the Thing’s hand breakdance. Michael Cho putting Cyclops in the role of Gort. Nick Kilisian showing the X-Men as Pod People. David Williams somehow putting EVERYONE in one double page spread and making it look beautiful. But I think one feature that readers are going to love is Roger Langridge’s two-pager featuring young Charles Xavier, done in an Edward Gorey style. People who have heard of Roger and wonder what why he’s so praised will understand what the big deal is.' "

-- Geoff Boucher

Credits: Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man unmasked in the third film in the super-hero film franchise, photo by Merrick Morton and courtesy of Columbia Pictures. "Action Comics" issue No. 280 featuring Curt Swan cover of Brainiac, courtesy of DC Comics.

'Twilight': The final trailer is here

It's bigger, faster, stronger -- just like Edward himself.

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

Thoughts? On Robert Pattinson's American accent? (I heard some British in there, but maybe it's just me.) On the music choices? On the fact that the trailer practically shows you the entire movie?

Leave 'em below.

-- Denise Martin

Robert Pattinson on his 'Twilight' songs: 'Music is my backup plan if acting fails'

EXCLUSIVE

Heartthrob Robert Pattinson not only stars in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance, “Twilight,” out Nov. 21, he's contributed two songs to the film, one of which, “Never Think” will be included on the official soundtrack.

But the self-effacing Brit insists that the songs’ inclusion was wholly accidental; a mysterious third party slipped director Catherine Hardwicke a copy of his recordings without his knowledge and she opted to include them, surprising Pattinson when he turned up to see some early footage.   

“When I went to see the cut,” Pattinson said during an interview Wednesday afternoon, “she’d put these two songs in. They’re old songs, but one of them specifically, it really made the scene better. It was like it was supposed to be there. It’s strange because what was supposed to be at that point in the movie was a big orchestral film climax. Instead it’s this little song with acoustic guitar. I’m singing it, maybe that makes it different, but it’s kind of overwhelming. I hope it’s overwhelming.”

Although many actors try to work in film and television while juggling careers in the pop arena, Pattinson insists he won’t be one of them. “That’s what I was scared about, it looks like I’m trying to get a music career out of it or something,” he said. “I’ve never really recorded anything -- I just played in pubs and stuff –- and I really didn’t want it to look like I was trying to cash in. I hope it doesn’t come across as that. I’m not going to be doing any music videos or anything. Music is my backup plan if acting fails. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”

Judging from the level of anticipation surrounding his first major starring vehicle, he might not have too much to worry about. On the music front, though, Pattinson will be sharing the soundtrack's track listing with Linkin Park, Muse, Paramore, Iron & Wine and Perry Farrell, among others.

-- Gina McIntyre

RELATED: Stephenie Meyer on music videos and mermaids

ALSO : 'Twilight' Countdown: Exclusive Robert Pattinson pic

- All 'Twilight' coverage at 'Hero Complex'

Photo: Kristen Stewart as "Bella," left, and Robert Pattinson as "Edward" are shown in a scene from, "Twilight." Credit: Peter Sorel, via the Associated Press and courtesy of Summit Entertainment.

Comic-Con: ‘Twilight’ star Robert Pattinson talks about the Entertainment Weekly cover

As promised, a Comic-Con burning questions session with “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson, who talked to Hero Complex about perfecting an American accent, the pressure to play Earth’s most “beautiful” vampire, and what he really thought of that Entertainment Weekly cover. (Don't forget to check out our video of him and the play-by-play of yesterday's "Twilight" panel.)

First things first: Let’s talk about that EW cover.
Um, I guess my hair turned into a little bit of a toupee, didn’t it? I don’t know what happened. Laughs. I just sort of was like, it’s only out for a week anyway.

Tell us about having to play “beautiful.”
When I first read the script and heard about the casting I was thinking, ‘This is impossible. This is physically impossible to play this part.’ I kind of preempted what everyone’s reaction would be. There was also a very real possibility that you could get so freaked out by having to look 'beautiful' all the time that you just end up doing the whole thing, like, pouting. Like, ‘Can I just cut all my lines and just stand still so you can shoot it really well?’

So what’d you do?
I thought about it a lot. It was kind of a deceptively complicated character to play. When you look at what Edward says, it seems like he always says the right thing. Always just the perfect gentleman. But when you put it in the context of his actual life situation and it doesn’t compute that he would be this completely easygoing, normal guy. That’s what he was before, then he got bit. He’s still trying to be a nice guy, but he’s also killed like 50 people, so he’s kind of in a state of constant penance.

Ah yes, we know you read Stephenie Meyer‘s manuscript for “Midnight Sun,” essentially a re-write of “Twilight” from Edward’s point of view. It won't be published for a while. Any tidbits?
Bella never knows what’s going on inside Edward’s head. Throughout the entire series of books, she never really knows who he is. In 'Midnight Sun,’ you find that he hides a lot from her, you find out the things that he’s hidden. Even basic things like there are other vampires who are going to kill her; I mean he kind of lies about it for ages. 

Did it help you do anything different with the part?
It’s interesting in “Midnight Sun” he’s kind of disgusted with himself, which is kind of how I saw Edward anyways. He knows (his relationship with Bella) is right but he can’t stand the fact that he keeps hanging around her. It’s like ‘I know I’m in love with her, I know that’s all well and good, but I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m a vampire, I should just accept that and kill myself now.’ It’s a lot of self-loathing. Laughs. And I wanted to play it 100% self-loathing the whole time, and nobody would let me. They had to kind of lighten me up a bit.

Might we hear more about this reported journal you kept to prepare for playing Edward?
I don’t know where the whole journal idea came from. I mean, I just wrote tons and tons of notes. I had like six versions of the script. I wrote of that while I was in Portland (where the movie was shot) for two months by myself. I was there before (director) Catherine Hardwicke or anyone else.

To get into character?
I wouldn’t be doing anything in London that would be of any help, and I thought that just being separated from anything that I knew would be good. Also, the accent. I thought it would be helpful if I just pretended to be American for two months.

How do you think it turned out?
It’s supposed to be sort of old-fashioned America. I haven’t actually seen it yet, but hopefully it worked out.

-- Denise Martin

Boxers or briefs? 'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson answers

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson reacts to the fans at Comic-Con.

Be sure to check back for our exclusive one-on-one Q&A with him, which will be up shortly.

--Denise Martin

Comic-Con: 'Twilight' fan-demonium, ears are ringing

The screams were deafening. Literally. I think my seat-mate Jevon is actually hard of hearing now.

"Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke made it even louder right off the bat, telling the audience "When I read Stephenie’s [Stephenie Meyer] book, I fell in love with it just like you did." Screams. “I wanted to see Edward and Bella live and breathe just like you!” Screams.

The screaming continued throughout the duration of a clip they showed in which Bella is trapped by James and subsequently rescued by Edward. Twenty-two-year-old Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, was smiling but visibly shocked and red at the fan reaction.

"As you can see we’re a little nervous," said star Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella. She later admitted that she hadn’t previously heard of "Twilight" before her involvement in the project.

"I don’t know. I was living under some big boulder rock," she said.

First question to Pattinson from the moderator: What’s it like to have these fans?

"It’s kind of the first time I’ve seen any of them, so I didn’t really expect it. I dunno... I... I... it just baffles me." Screams. "It’s nice, it’s nice though."

But let’s turn the mic over to the fans:

For all the actors, how is it to portray super hot vampires? Screams. Pattinson: “Wait, I’m the only one who’s playing super hot,” Pattinson dead-panned.

What’s on the soundtrack? Muse is on the soundtrack. Hardwicke added: “Rob’s a great musician.” And Hero Complex has learned, he’s writing “Edward’s Song” for the movie. He made up the lullaby on the spot while filming a scene.

Any spontaneous moments on set? Hardwicke: “I’ve got one! In one of the kissing scenes, Rob got a little passionate and fell off the bed onto the floor.” Screams.

Why‘d you get involved with the project, Kristen: Stewart: “It’s like the ideal version of love. As a lame sort of sappy girl, that’s sort of what life is about.” Awwww. “Plus, I got to do this audition with Rob Pattinson. It was on Catherine’s bed.” Screams.

“In her bed,” Pattinson added. Screams. “With Catherine.” 

“I was filming,” Hardwicke protested. 

Comic-Con: Waiting for the 'Twilight' bite

Have you ever seen this many girls up front in Hall H at Comic-Con?

They’ve been here since 8 p.m. Wednesday night, people.

Of course, they’re all here for the "Twilight" session at 2 p.m. where the film’s stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, will hold court.

But first, they’ll wait through panels for “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” starring Keanu Reeves, and “Max Payne,” with Mark Wahlberg -- two guys who mean nothing to Edward fans.

No saving seats!

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Mobs of eager fans in the San Diego Convention Center's Hall H. / Denise Martin.

'Twilight' watch at Comic-Con

"When you can live forever, what do you live for?"

That's a tough question, but I do know what fans of the"Twilight" novels are living for right now: The dream of seeing their beloved, breathless (but not bloodless) romantic tale on the big screen. Catherine Hardwicke's  film is due in December and already she's feeling the heat from fans of the novel who worry about its afterlife in Hollywood. There was, for instance, the great debate about chest hair that was spotted on Edward, the vampire.

At Comic-Con International, the cast and filmmakers of "Twilight" will both calm nerves and goose excitement for their project. Here's some things to watch for in San Diego:

The Panel: The "Twilight" panel is the third and final film in the 90-minute panel presentation by Summit Entertainment that begins at 1:15 on Thursday (July 24) in Hall H, the 6,500-seat main hall at the convention. Seats are first-come, first-serve. Here's the description of the "Twilight" panel from Summit:

TWILIGHT – Director Catherine Hardwicke (THIRTEEN, LORDS OF DOGTOWN), book series author Stephenie Meyer and the cast including Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Cam Gigandet (James), Rachelle Lafevre (Victoria), Edi Gathegi (Laurent), Taylor Lautner (Jacob) will answer questions about bringing these characters to life on the big screen as well as showing exclusive footage from the film.

Photo op and autographs: At the Summit Entertainment booth (#4413), you can get your photo taken with life-size (or undead-size) standees Edward, Bella, James, Laurent or Victoria and have it instantly e-mailed to friends. There's also some prizes and contests and such. In the Comic-Con autograph room, "lucky winners will have the opportunity to participate in a limited autograph session with the panelists from 'Twilight,' " according to Summit publicists. So go to the booth as soon as you can.

Trading cards: Inkworks is releasing a set of "Twilight" trading cards in November, and packs will be sprinkled with autographed cards and Pieceworks costume cards, which has a chunk of wardrobe worn during the making of the film. There will be four different Comic-Con exclusive promo cards at Summit Entertainment booth (#4413). For more information about the set, collectors can visit the Inkworks booth (#2629) or website (www.inkworks.com).

-- Geoff Boucher

Photo: Summit Entertainment