Catherine Hardwicke tops with teens

'Twilight' director launches new mega-hit

By JOHN ANDERSON

Hardwicke

Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight" experienced the biggest opening weekend of any film by a female director ($69 million), making her the first femme filmmaker to launch what is obviously going to be a big-bucks franchise. That she's not doing the sequel for Summit Entertainment says something about Hardwicke's insistence on quality, even at the cost of spearheading a blue-eyed vampire empire.

"I had never imagined doing any sequel," she says. "When I was a production designer, every time I was offered a sequel I turned it down. But when 'Twilight' made all this money my agent said, 'Maybe they'll really let you do what you want and give you more time.' I knew Chris Nolan had three years between 'Batman' movies, Jon Favreau had two years between 'Iron Man' movies."

What Summit wanted, Hardwicke says, was the opposite. "Since the kids are not supposed to age," she says of the teen ghouls who inhabit Stephenie Meyer's pop novels, "they wanted to release the new movie a year to the date of the first. So I would have had less prep time than I had on the first one."

Instead, the Texas-born native is choosing to juggle several yet-to-be-greenlit films, including one for Summit, "If I Stay," from the Gayle Forman novel. Other pending projects include a contempo "Hamlet" with Emile Hirsch, an adaptation of the fantasy series "Maximum Ride," and a gothic update on an old fairy tale, titled "The Girl in the Red Riding Hood."

If there's a theme behind the 50-something Hardwicke's career, it's restless youth -- as illustrated by the dysfunctional pubescent delinquents of "Thirteen," the self-driven skateboarders of "Dogtown" and the undead teens of "Twilight." She's still excited about "Twilight's" win for best fight at the MTV Teen Choice Awards.

"I'm immature," Hardwicke laughs, by way of explanation. "I want to have fun, I want to retain my, whatever, childlike quality. I guess every artist does. It's all about play and discovery and -- for me, creative people -- you have to stay young. I found on 'Thirteen' that Holly Hunter in some ways was younger than the girls -- she was super-creative and crazy and childlike and exploratory. I don't think it's about chronological age. I know a lot of teenagers who are really boring."

IN A NUTSHELL:

Job title: Director
Mentor: "I'd love to have one."
Career mantra: "Hellllllllllllllllllllllllp!"
Leisure pursuits: Drawing, surfing, swimming, snorkeling, paddling, biking
Philanthropic passion: Heal the Bay