Melissa Rosenberg Talks Edward’s Proposal & Breaking Dawn
Fans want to know: Did the proposal scene make it into New Moon?
The proposal comes into the end of New Moon, and that is the first proposal. Absolutely in Eclipse, the proposal when they’re on the bed, yes — to me, that was a quintessential scene from the book. When Edward gets on his knees, with his mother’s ring, and she says yes — that was one of the most romantic scenes that Stephenie wrote in all four books.
Obviously by the fourth book in The Twilight Saga, there will be subjects and events that do seem unsuitable for the younger side of the Twilight audience. How would you tackle that challenge?
If I were to be writing that, I think there are many things that probably are inappropriate, and there are probably other things that can be implied. I don’t think that it will be a problem.
![\"Eclipse](\"http://i39.tinypic.com/bf2udk.gif\")
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 PM
yay!
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:34 PM
“to me, that was a quintessential scene from the book.”
That scene was quintessential for me too, but for different reasons.
Cha ching.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:38 PM
I agree about Breaking Dawn being PG-13. I simply can’t imagine a Twilight movie with an R rating, since they *do* have a teen audience, as well. Furthermore, the sex was implied in the book, and I’d rather not see the movie extend it into some trashy scene (such as Watchmen, which made the sex scene more exaggerated than it was in the graphic novel). Breaking Dawn does have violence, but nothing that would warrant a heavy R rating.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:40 PM
I believe we’ve already seen an official movie still from the New Moon proposal scene
But then again, that’s just my guess.
“Isabella Swan, I promise to love you forever. Every single day of forever. Will you marry me?” - UM…OF COURSE IT’S A QUINTESSENTIAL PART!!!
:)
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 PM
IF she were to do Breaking Dawn, I don’t really think it’s fair to leave EVERY inappropriate scene out. Because 12 year olds shouldn’t even be reading Twilight! It’s not even rational, because Twilight does, however, send out a bad message. The 4th book isn’t even that bad, and if they’re saying it is, it worries me that you won’t even see Nessie’s birth, which is a bummer for the older fans because it’s such a climactic scene. It’s okay to make it more suitable, but taking everything out will not make people happy.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Think of it this way: Drag Me to Hell was PG-13, and it managed to include some pretty mature content. Summit could easily do the same with Breaking Dawn, and no R rating would be necessary for the more questionable scenes. In the book, the sexual acts were tastefully implied.
Bella does describe herself as being fully nude in the bathroom, but that could be tastefully presented without excess, as well. PG-13 does not mean “watered down”, since studios are able to get away with quite a bit nowadays.
Melissa is correct: a good writer could easily present the mature content without making it excessive, since the book handled these scenes exactly the same way.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:49 PM
EmilyJane: Like I said, many PG-13 movies were able to include some heavily mature content. However, Nessie’s birth wouldn’t require an excess of gore and shock scenes. They could easily show it without going overboard.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:52 PM
I’m so glad that Melissa’s getting the recognition that most writers don’t get. When we watch a movie or tv series a lot of people forget that with out the behind the scenes people we’d never have it. WRITERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF LIFE!!! -steps off box-
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 PM
They have to make Breaking Dawn!! My life wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 PM
OMG ! I CRIED WHEN I READ THT INTERVIEW ! EDWARD’S PROPOSAL !!!!!!! OMG !!!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:22 PM
I love the part in Eclipse when Edward proposes, his reaction to Bella’s acceptance makes my heart skip!! I CANNOT wait to see it in the movie. And sex (classy not trashy) in Breaking Dawn? BRING IT ON!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:31 PM
I agree with you EmilyJane, and I agree with you Matt at the same time. I don’t want everything to be taken out either. I’m older (19) and I don’t want the movie to be completely altered because of 11 year olds viewers. In my opinion, I don’t think Breaking Dawn was appropriate in spots for a child/young teen to read period. The way Stephenie describes the sex scenes, I think they could imply it well while still keeping the pg-13 rating. I’m not sure how the birthing scene will play out though. I don’t want it to be excessive gory like a Saw movie or something but I can’t want it watered down either. And as Matt mentioned how Bella was described nude in the bathroom, they don’t need to actually show that. They could show Kristen looking in the mirror (bare)shoulders up and you’d get the picture.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:33 PM
*I don’t want it to be excessively gory like a Saw movie or something but I don’t want it watered down either.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:47 PM
I definitely think that if they stick to the book on the Breaking Dawn stuff they will be fine. I’m pretty sure that everything in the book would be within a PG-13 rating. I need the feathers though for sure. It just won’t be Breaking Dawn if they leave that out.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:00 PM
I KNEW IT I KNEW IT HAHA BD WILL BE MADE INTO A PG-13 MOVIE!!!! hahaha yeshhhhhhhhh….. WOOOOOOO…. sorry thts great to me yes!!!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 PM
ALISON- Feathers have to be included!! You’re right. I’d be soooo disappointed if they weren’t!
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Has anyone seen The Illusionist with Edward Norton? In it, they had a sex scene that was tastefully done. The action was implied, but the room was shadowed in a way that would only let you make out some of the movements. It was tastefully done, but it still showed the moment without robbing it of its intimacy. They could do the same thing in Breaking Dawn with some imagination.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Plus, the sex scene would have to be tastefully implied. Could you seriously imagine them showing a vampire having sex with a human in slow motion speed as feathers fly everywhere? It would be completely ridiculous, which was why Stephenie wisely decided to imply the act without going overboard.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 PM
haha I would feel so awkward if they actually showed the sex scene. I’d probably start uncontrollably giggling.
This is really random…but does anyone besides me think that the movie theaters should sell New Moon kleenex when the movie premiers? They’d make some serious cash. :b
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 PM
LOL! I totally agree Emily. And Twilightloverwa, I would be disappointed too. LOL
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM
I wish with all my heart that BD could be rated R. I want to see some honeymoon action..and slight nakedness.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Matt:
Yes! I’ve seen the Illusionist and that scene is a very good example of how to make a sex scene in a pg-13 movie. It’s obvious what’s going on, but they don’t really show anything.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 PM
Ugh. I really never liked her. She sounds like she wants to change a lot of what happens in Breaking Dawn when she says “there are probably other things that can be implied” No! I want those scenes! I am not a 13 year old little girl! Gosh!
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 PM
LovesMeSomeJacob:
Thanks. I was hoping that The Illusionist would be a good example for how to tastefully show a sex scene in a PG-13 movie without angering the fans. It’s all about the angles and shadowing in the scene, I think.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Matt:
This is lovesmesomejacob but I thought I’d change my name because that one makes me sound like a crazy fan girl haha.
Exactly. All you have to show are the parts leading up to it and then do a fast montage type thing with dim lighting
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 PM
I think they have to do more than imply it because otherwise it would be weird if all of a sudden Bella was like “I’m pregnant!” and they never even show anything
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Haha, too bad David Slade is directing Eclipse, as opposed to Breaking Dawn. His films have had some pretty mature material, from vampire children that are killed to implied castration.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 PM
I want Chris weitz to do Breaking dawn he will be good with it! Sorry Matt love you but David Slade will be a no no for BD.
about the whole pg-13 scene. Come on! we want R!! Stephanie blocked out the details but we want to seeit! I mean not over done but something you know! I think the problem is Twilight fans have a huge age range form like 10-80 year old seriously but we have been waiting all this time. I am one of the older fans so I definetly want to see some action you knnow??
I agree 12 year old should not be reading the series especiall BD. Because I am not saying all but majority will not understand the deep meanings behind it. Especially when you go into depth about Ed and Bella’s love. Just my two cents!
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Btw never like this woman I dont know she gives me a wired vibe. They should have switched scree writers too!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:19 PM
Chasity:
I disagree with your opinion that 12 year olds shouldn’t be reading it… I think that some 12 year olds are very mature
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:20 PM
oh and I’ve never likes Melissa Rosenberg either. It wasn’t just Catherine Hardwicke and a small budget that screwed up Twilight, the writing was a BIG part of it
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Personally, I loved the Twilight movie. I know that some fans didn’t, but I thought that the film did an excellent job, and it even was an improvement over the book in some areas (more focus on the nomads, etc).
New Moon’s budget is only around $60M. As Chris Weitz said, it’s not necessarily about how large your budget is. It’s about how effectively you use your budget, no matter how small it is, to maximum effect.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 PM
Matt:
Really? I hated the Twilight movie. With a burning passion. I thought it was utterly terrible. The only thing that I liked was the cast and the wardrobe.
But, on the other hand, New Moon looks EPIC. All cuz of Chris Weitz.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:18 PM
EmilyJane:
Absolutely. I thought that it was a very faithful adaptation and an entertaining film in its own right. I’ve been a fan of Hardwicke for years, and I loved the indie feel that she gave Twilight. It was certainly more refreshing than the typical “blockbuster” direction that most studios aim for.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Wa haha I want breaking dawn to be R!!! Yeah!!! I guess I am nympho. I want naked Pattinson and Stewart in her lingerines. Yeah!! Please Summit. Come on. You will make millions of dollars if Breaking Dawn would be R!!!
If you are not satisfied with Breaking Dawn Lemon you should go to fanfiction.
Peace out.
XOXOXOX
November 4th, 2009 at 2:49 AM
I do NOT care for Melissa Rosenberg’s writing. If she becomes contracted to write Breaking Dawn, everyone had better prepare for the most awkward movie ever. Someone with taste, realism, relevance, and respect for the novels should be hired instead. And with the popularity of the series being what it is, I’m sure Summit wouldn’t have any trouble finding a competent, talented, witty writer who is well-versed in the books. If enough fans complain about Melissa Rosenberg, there is a possibility of change. The studio tends to listen to its fanbase on many issues including Jodelle Farland, Taylor returning, the pancake makeup, blue lighting, etc. Too bad no one started this new writer campaign earlier! (Although didn’t Chris Weitz and David Slade comment on writing the script? Perhaps they majorly edited it?) And way too bad that no one asked Stephenie herself to write it…or co-write it at least! Gah.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:07 AM
36:
Taylor returned because he took initiate and majorly increased his muscle for the expanded role. Otherwise, he would have been re-cast. I wouldn’t credit his return on fans demanding such. Taylor had to bulk up, which was challenging. He earned the role of Jacob for New Moon. Furthermore, the color change was a stylistic choice by Chris, not by fan demand. It was always his intention to make the colors more vibrant to reflect the changing nature of the storyline. You are crediting the fans for changes that would have happened anyway, and Taylor was not a guarantee until his own physical training.
I loved Melissa’s adaptation of Twilight, and I am sorry that you cannot disagree with you without tossing tons of insults, including an attack on her relevance and personal taste. That’s absolutely shameful.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:09 AM
P.S. Breaking Dawn can be quite disturbing at times, between the sexually-related conflicts with Edward and Bella, the pregnancy, birth and delivery of Renesemee, the heightened vampire intimacy, hunting, occasional nudity, drinking blood, and Edward’s desperate suggestion to Jacob. All of these merit an R rating. It should be tastefully done, however, and in no way eliminated or cheapened for younger viewers. Stephenie wrote the books for herself. In fact, most of the original fanbase was NOT pre-teen/teenage girls. It was small and diverse and largely composed of moms. As far as graphic and explicit content goes, think Titanic people. Think Lolita. Think Tristan and Isolde. It can be implied — even flashed briefly. It can be exquisite when done right. There are ways to prune it to a PG-13, but it would take some work and might blight some of the original intent. 10 year old girls who run to the theaters to squeal at Robert Pattinson can go home and play with their barbies instead. Stephenie deserves the best version of Breaking Dawn possible, not a watered down for the studio’s idea of a commercial demographic. And Melissa Rosenberg isn’t experienced enough in writing for film to deliver all the care and sidestepping controversy that Breaking Dawn needs. She could never pull it off.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:09 AM
In many ways, I think Melissa even improved upon the source material, particularly by expanding the role of the nomads and cutting down a few unnecessary scenes that contributed nothing of significance to the main storyline. She made the nomads much more frightening and effective as antagonists, in my opinion.
Disagree with Melissa if you want, but you want waaaaay over the line with your condescending tone. Taylor did NOT return because of the fans. He returned because of his intense physical training.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:13 AM
38:
Yes, Breaking Dawn does have some mature content, but nothing that would merit an R rating. Titanic was PG-13, and it had a rather suggestive sex scene, including the exposure of breasts and some frightening imagery with the sinking of the ship. BD could easily be PG-13 without crossing the line. Melissa also did some writing for Dexter, which tends to be a mature television series at times.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:14 AM
Also, I’d rather see Breaking Dawn be two films in order to do justice to Jacob’s storyline, as well. Does anyone else agree?
November 4th, 2009 at 3:25 AM
i guess they should really just take their time in deciding if it will be made into a movie..its going to be really complicated…
November 4th, 2009 at 3:26 AM
Matt:
Well, said.
I think they will be able to do the sex scenes without making BD rated R. I’m in the older fan group as well… I don’t care what the rating will be. Someone is going to complain no matter what Summit decides to do.
No matter who writes or directs. We can’t all be happy.
But I’m gonna enjoy the movie no matter what!
November 4th, 2009 at 3:30 AM
Hi Matt, I didn’t mean to upset anyone. Please notice though, that it began with “*I* do not care for Melissa Rosenberg’s writing”, stating a personal opinion, not a universally agreed upon fact.
Twilight had its flaws, but overall was cast right, had good music, and plenty of nice moments. While Melissa Rosenberg’s style did not hit me right, many, many people liked it. I just didn’t care for lines like, “I did, at first. But only for making me want you so badly.” Or “Money…sex…money…sex…cat.” Or the famous meadow scene being reduced to a mere 30 seconds with no dialogue. As a long time fan of the books, I simply could not reconcile myself to the script after that. The few lines that I truly liked were not even written by her…”They do in my world.”…”I’m the one with the wicked curve ball.” etc. It’s just my preference.
The producers, actors, directors, and crew certainly have the real power behind the films, and I realize that the fans are just a mass of supporters. We can’t take credit for things like Taylor’s continuation (he def. earned it!) or the lighting changes. But we can influence the people involved, and we can express communal thoughts regarding the series we all love so much.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:33 AM
L: I agree that the meadow scene was too short. It’s one of the best scenes in the book, but in the movie it was just, crap. That’s how I feel anyway… But the movie would have had to be 3 hours or so to get the true effect of the book.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:17 AM
I (emphasis on I) personally did not like Twilight’s film adaptation either. That doesn’t mean I haven’t seen the movie ten times because I love the book though lol, but don’t you guys think it would be better to wait and see what happens with New Moon before you start bashing Melissa Rosenberg? For those of you who hated New Moon, for all you know it could have just been the fault of the director who ultimately has the power over the making of the film.
P.S. in no way believe that many 12 year old should have read Breaking Dawn. I do however believe that Summit could very tastefully produce Breaking Dawn with a PG-13 rating. I just pray that they keep in mind the importance of the ‘racy’ scenes and do the book justice. Writiting the movie just to sell tickets to a youger age group is not fair to the fans or to Stephenie’s work.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:52 AM
I know that a lot of older fans would be devastated if they sugar-coated some of the BD scenes. HOWEVER, the fact remains that there are 11-13 year olds reading these books. The excuse that “they shouldn’t even be reading these books!” isn’t going to change that. I don’t think that Melissa Rosenburg is the best writer ever. But don’t blame her for being considerate.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Breaking Dawn should reflect the book just like any other of the movies. The fact is young children are reading these books and have already been exposed to these scenes, mostly without true comprehension. I don’t believe the sex scenes will be an issue because they can be done tastefully, as countless movies show. However I will be devastated if character interactions are removed, like Edwards “burning man” discussions with Jacob. If the younger children didn’t understand the meaning of it in text they wont understand it on film either, so I think they should stay. I really hope the birthing scene is kept, its essential to all the myth in the story, and it obviously will not be portrayed like a saw movie. As long as the panic, and pain, and desire is represented in the acting throughout the movie, it will be fine.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:10 AM
I’m not bashing Melissa R, cause’ I really liked Twilight. & I don’t think it’s not right to bash her anyway. If she wasn’t that good of a writer, they would’ve picked someone else. But they picker her, so obviously she has some idea of what she’s doing. Either way, I’m incredibly excited for New Moon. Eclipse. & BD. & no matter who is writing it, I’m going to enjoy it.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:12 AM
I meant, “I don’t think it’s right.”
whoops!
November 4th, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Wow there is a lot to discuss when ikt comes to the making of BReaking Dawn. YEs, unfortunately we do have 11-13 year olds who have read and love the series (no offense to anyone…really) but the books were not meant for them. Stephanie herself said that the book was not supposed to be written for young adults but that is how it turned out to be and that’s fine.
But to think about it, Breaking Dawn will probably be out in 2011 or 2012 by then those who fall into that category will be a bit more older.
And…Matt hun I know you said it can be made PG-13 and still have the scenes and be tasteful but how the heck are they going to portry the birth scene I know some say it can be shot from certain angles that doesnt reveal much but it wouldnt do the books much justice…really.
Another factor is that it is up to the actors and what they want to do. They might not be comfortable with some of the scenes I am just saying they might it all depends how dedicated they are to this series.
Like someone said maybe we should wait to see New Moon with a new director to see if Melissa is a problem here. Because in Twilight a whole lot was cut out. Another thing that didnt make Twilight so great was the short length in time of the movie they could have at least added about 30 minutes or so. That is the problem they need to make these movies longer. Because I am sure most of you on her wouldnt mind watching even a 4 hour Twilight movie. Okay I will stop my rambling now:)
November 4th, 2009 at 2:16 PM
And Breaking Dawn should definetly be made in to two movies!!!I strongly agree with that or else things will be rushed.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:23 PM
If she takes out all the inaproperet parts in Breaking dawn it wouldn’t be fair. Besides 12 year olds shouldn’t even be reading the book . So make it R who cares
November 4th, 2009 at 5:13 PM
yay! they’re finally talking about the proposal! <3 eep
oh yeah and I think that people exaggerate BD; it could easily be PG-13.
oh yeah and I never really liked Melissa either