Disney Wants a Piece of Twilight
In recent business news, probably outside the interest of you readers, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross axed Oren Aviv, production chief of the Burbank Studio. So does he want to replace him with? Someone linked to Twilight…enter Erik Feig, head of production at Summit Entertainment and the executive behind the “Twilight” franchise.
Photo: Actress Dakota Fanning joins Summit Entertainment executives Rob Friedman, from left, Patrick Wachsberger and Erik Feig at the premier of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
But, it appears that Feig, who has worked at Summit for nine years and is still under contract, is staying put.
“He’s not going to Disney and he never asked to be released from his contract,” said his boss, Rob Friedman, chief executive of Summit. Feig did not respond to a call or e-mail seeking comment.
It is understandable that Ross would court Feig. He fits the mold of the newly reshaped Disney studio, where Ross is trying to rein in costs and launch new franchises that don’t necessarily depend on big stars.
It’s also understandable that Disney wants a piece of the Twilight magic making machine. Feig and Summit were able to turn a fantastically successful book into a successful movie franchise – not an easy feat (ie: Eragon, Scarlet Letter, The Hours, Dr. Suess..you get the idea). And beyond that, Summit was able to take relatively unknown actors – no one was lusting after Cedric Diggory – and turned them into A-list stars with endless new opportunities. In short Feig knows what he’s doing.
Feig, who began his career by producing Sony Pictures’ teen horror film “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and then went on to produce that studio’s teen comedy “Slackers,” was the executive who brought Stephanie Meyer’s vampire books to Summit after Paramount Pictures put the project in turnaround. “Twilight,” which cost $37 million to produce, and its $50-million budgeted sequel, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” have collectively grossed $965 million at the worldwide box office. The next installment, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” is due out in June. Feig is also overseeing Summit’s dance sequel “Step Up 3D,” which Disney is distributing in the U.S.
(Source: LA Times)
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