Twilight is a
romantic-
fantasy film directed by
Catherine Hardwicke and based on the
novel of the same name by
Stephenie Meyer. It focuses on the development of a personal relationship between human teenager
Bella Swan (
Kristen Stewart) and
vampire Edward Cullen (
Robert Pattinson), and the subsequent efforts of Cullen and his family to keep Swan safe from a separate group of hostile vampires.
The project was in development for approximately three years at
Paramount Pictures, during which time a
screen adaptation which differed significantly from the novel was written.
Summit Entertainment acquired the rights to the novel after three years of the project's
stagnant development.
Melissa Rosenberg wrote a new adaptation of the novel shortly before the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and sought to be faithful to the novel's storyline. The film was primarily shot in
Washington and
Oregon in early 2008.
Twilight was released in theaters on November 21, 2008,
and grossed
US$35.7 million on its opening day.
As of September 19, 2009, the film has grossed
US$383,520,177 in worldwide
box office and, as of July 12, 2009, $157,078,128 in North American
DVD sales.
The
soundtrack was released on November 4, 2008.
and
Eclipse, the next two books in the series, were produced as films the following year.
