Catherine Hardwicke "thankful" she walked away from New Moon

She denies Summit Entertainment “fired” her: “In my contract, I had the first right of refusal.”

In a new Newsweek profile, Catherine Hardwicke (whose vamped up version of Little Red Riding Hood hit screens March 11) says she has no regrets about walking away from the mega-successful Twilight franchise and dismisses a blog report that Summit Entertainment fired her.

“I couldn’t even be fired, that’s what’s so funny,” she says. “In my contract, I had the first right of refusal.”

She says she said no to New Moon, the film’s second installment, because the studio wanted to rush it out. “I do not regret it at all, thank the Lord,” she says. “The truth is I liked the first book the best.”

Tags: by, catherine, contract, entertainment, fired, hardwicke, moon, new, not, rob, More…rush, summit, talk

Comment by Emma on March 3, 2011 at 2:22pm: im glad she didnt do new moon, or any of the other films, i really didnt like her that much...

Comment by KristinMoore on March 3, 2011 at 2:47pm: thank you Emma! I hated the way she shot twilight...it was so blue!

Comment by Beverly Quick on March 3, 2011 at 3:05pm: In defense of Catherine Hardwick, I think she did an excellant job on "Twilight". It is also my favorite book. I wish she had done all five films. The blue was exactly what made the first one so good. It gave it more of a "cold" atmosphere I thought. It was the best movie yet, and I love all of them. I can't wait to see her "Red Riding Hood".

Comment by Quinnycullen on March 3, 2011 at 3:06pm: Your both right! I mean yeah she brought us Twilight, but I dont like her style. And it is really unproffecional how she talks about it now!

Comment by Danielle<3 on March 3, 2011 at 3:45pm: You can't not like her, she did an awesome job at starting it off and without her we wouldn't have the main cast that we have now :)

Comment by Amy Cullen on March 3, 2011 at 3:58pm: Twilight was my favorite so far too. I can't wait to see Breaking Dawn. I thought the movie captured their romance well. I agree with the film being done in blue. I thought it captured it cold and icy but at the same time it was romantic.

Comment by RockFan on March 3, 2011 at 4:07pm: I love Catherine and think she did an excellent job with Twilight, especially in casting, setting the tone for the rest of the series, and the excellent soundtrack and score. We are so lucky Carter Burwell is doing the score for BD and Renesmee's Lullaby. I can't wait to hear it. And I'm looking forward to seeing Little Red Riding Hood next week. Am definitely game to see any movie Catherine directs.

Comment by Jazmin Santiago on March 3, 2011 at 4:11pm: idk why they hate her but i like her i cant wait for that movie the red riding hood

Comment by dazzledbyrp on March 3, 2011 at 4:22pm: I used to think that Twilight was my least favorite of the movies made to date. But as time goes by, I find that it is the one I watch most often. We must bow to her for her casting and music (including Rob's numbers). The "blue" tone mentions above was perfect for this part of the story. I think she gave a woman's perspective to what, when all is said and done, is a love story for women. The book rocked my world and I give her many kudos for pulling off a movie version that I still enjoy very much.