Why Bill Condon Could Be Good for ‘Breaking Dawn’ (From FEARnet)

FEARnets Jen Yamato has a great list of reasons as to why Bill Condon would make a perfect Breaking Dawn Movie director! Here is an excerpt:

Genre Experience

While Condon is best known for his more recent Oscar-caliber work (see above), a look back in his filmography reveals a surprising knack for genre fare that one might not otherwise expect from the man behind Chicago and Dreamgirls. After a career stint as a journalist, Condon entered showbiz as the screenwriter of 1981′s low-budget horror spoof Strange Behavior (AKA Dead Kids), an Illinois-set Ozsploitation flick followed by a sci-fi sequel, Strange Invaders. He made his directorial debut a few years later with the 1987 Gothic thriller Sister, Sister and in 1995 helmed Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (the one that reveals the Candyman’s tragic origin story, involving a lynch mob, honey, and a swarm of bees).

A few years later, Condon left behind the horror fare to begin his better known period, starting with the critically-acclaimed Gods and Monsters — a biopic of horror director James Whale (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein). That film demonstrated Condon’s knowledge of the horror genre and his ability to infuse it with humanistic storytelling, which will be key in adapting Breaking Dawn, a story that balances Bella Swan’s involvement in the vampire and werewolf worlds with themes of marriage, family, and romance.

Sparkle of a Different Kind

Another of Condon’s proven skills is the ability to wrangle large, ambitious productions and deliver polished products with mass appeal. Some may joke, but nobody REALLY expects Bill Condon’s Breaking Dawn to include musical numbers or jazz hands. That said, the expertise proven with Dreamgirls — a film with multiple sets, characters, and intimate dramatic arcs with large ramifications — should give fans some measure of confidence. After all, Breaking Dawn‘s story is so over the top and its stakes so elevated that many of us have wondered how it could ever be filmed at all.

One can imagine that Condon could give the Twilight Saga the maturity it needs to bring the first films’ teen angst sensibilities into the more adult realm that Bella Swan will quickly find herself in — facing marriage, babies, and other new discoveries and enemies as the series draws to a close. If Condon can create a product that doesn’t look like it’s been made merely for the MTV crowd, but also for, well, their parents, the franchise might pull a much wider demographic than it has previously and, also important, earn critical respect.

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