Sofia Coppola Passed On Directing Twilight Due To One Creepy Detail
One of the most interesting contemporary filmmakers working today, Sofia Coppola has proven herself time and time again with her meditative and thematically rich projects. From the contemplative "Lost in Translation" to the loud and brash "The Bling Ring," the director never shies away from tackling introspective projects. Just recently, the filmmaker debuted "Priscilla," an intimate and daring look at the life of Priscilla Presley — the ex-wife of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley — which doesn't shy away from consistently acknowledging the whopping 10-year age gap between Priscilla and Elvis.
Clearly a filmmaker who isn't afraid to point out toxicity and general inappropriateness, Coppola just couldn't get on board with helming a "Twilight" adaptation because of how the franchise depicts werewolves "imprinting" on individuals. "We had one meeting, and it never went anywhere," Coppola told Rolling Stone about her brief brush with the "Twilight" franchise. "I thought the whole imprinting-werewolf thing was weird. The baby. Too weird!" Coppola continued, pointing out how Jacob (Taylor Lautner) imprints on Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), a literal baby.
The "Virgin Suicides" director definitely isn't wrong in pointing out just how weird and creepy the whole imprinting thing is in the "Twilight" franchise. Jacob imprints on Renesmee shortly after she is born, removing all of her agency from the situation — a creative decision that is baffling to this day.
Coppola was genuinely interested in helming Twilight
The act of imprinting happens in "Breaking Dawn — Part 1," the fourth film in the franchise. It's definitely a major standout in the picture and one that Jacob star Taylor Lautner had difficulty filming. Speaking with Hollywood.com, Lautner described how he had to understand that imprinting (at least at first) doesn't necessarily mean the manifestation of a romantic connection. "It's just this special bond, connection with someone, and I think they did it in a really great way — Bill Condon, our director. I'm really happy with it, but on the day, it was challenging," Lautner admitted. The actor added that werewolves don't have control over who they imprint on, saying, "It just happens."
Based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novels, the "Twilight" films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide, which is probably why "Twilight" is getting rebooted as a TV series. While it remains to be seen when that series debuts, it's fair to say that Coppola will have no part in that production. Continuing her chat with Rolling Stone, Coppola discussed how she had genuine interest in bringing "Twilight" to life but just couldn't move past the aforementioned creep factor. "Part of the earlier 'Twilight' could be done in an interesting way," Coppola said, adding, "I thought it'd be fun to do a teen-vampire romance, but the last one gets really far out."
While the "Twilight" films are a definitive part of the vampire canon, it's a shame that Coppola couldn't deliver her own take on the franchise, especially because of her interest in vampires ...
Sofia Coppola loves vampires
While the director has delivered countless acclaimed films over the years, Sofia Coppola has rarely stepped into the world of genre filmmaking, which is why her failed encounter with the "Twilight" franchise stings so much. What makes it even more tragic is that Coppola is somewhat of a vampire fangirl. When asked by Gwyneth Paltrow (via her site goop) to list her favorite films, Coppola gave a shout-out to the 2008 Swedish picture "Let The Right One In." A complicated coming-of-age and romance hybrid, the film follows the young Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) falling for the mysterious — and vampirish — Eli (Lina Leandersson). The film is one of Sweden's most prominent cinematic exports and has since been given the American remake treatment.
But Coppola's love for vampires extends beyond Swedish horror pictures. The director appears as herself in "What We Do in the Shadows," one of the most popular contemporary projects exploring vampires. She stars alongside her husband Thomas Mars and director Jim Jarmusch in Season 4, Episode 9, titled "Freddie." In the episode, the trio visit a nightclub and are promptly killed after they ask for the "celebrity special." "What We Do in the Shadows" showrunner Paul Simms told IndieWire that he simply got lucky when it came to landing Coppola and Mars, who happen to be fans of the vampire series.
Coppola has an obvious love for vampires, and if things had gone differently, she could have helmed her very own bloodsucking epic. After directing the 2006 picture "Marie Antoinette," the creative began working on a vampire film. That idea eventually morphed into her 2010 drama "Somewhere," which, sadly, happens to feature no vampires.