Sofia Coppola Almost Directed Twilight: Breaking Dawn

The Twilight movies were something of a phenomenon, with its eclectic cast of characters, emotional tension, and heightened genre elements. The saga, inspired by Stephanie Meyer's books series, was initially spun out into five movies — and it sounds like one was nearly directed by Sofia Coppola. Coppola, whose work includes Marie Antoinette and the forthcoming Priscilla, revealed that she met with Lionsgate about helming an installment of Breaking Dawn, the final book that was split into two movies. As Coppola put it, she found some elements of Breaking Dawn's story absurd, but does believe that the saga's earlier narrative would have been a fun challenge. Bill Condon ultimately directed Breaking Dawn's two films.

"We had one meeting, and it never went anywhere," Coppola revealed. "I thought the whole imprinting-werewolf thing was weird. The baby. Too weird! But part of the earlier Twilight could be done in an interesting way. I thought it'd be fun to do a teen-vampire romance, but the last one gets really far out."

Will There Be a Twilight Reboot?

The Twilight saga is potentially headed to live action again, with reports from earlier this year revealing that Lionsgate is working on a television adaptation of Twilight, although it is unclear if that will be a full reboot, or a story existing within the world of the existing films. There is not a showrunner, network, or distributor currently attached to the Twilight TV series, but Meyer is "expected to be involved in the television adaptation." Wyck Godfrey and former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig will be on board as executive producers. 

What Is Priscilla About?

In Priscilla, when teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a gentle best friend. Through Priscilla's eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame. Written by Coppola, Priscilla is based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which was co-written by the real-life Priscilla and Sandra Harmon. 

"I feel it's only my job to show what her experience is like, and I think you present things to an audience for them to think about and make their own decisions," Coppola explained in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. "She ultimately left and found her identity outside of men, which I thought must have taken so much strength at that time. It was a big deal to have no income and divorce a powerful man. I know what a big deal that was at that time. So I was impressed that she had the strength to do that, to leave after her whole life being shaped by that."

Would you have wanted to see Sofia Coppola direct Twilight: Breaking Dawn? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!