Twilight Movie: Actor Taylor Lautner to keep Jacob role in Twilight sequel New Moon

Twilight Movie Again: Taylor Lautner still Jacob? After a monster of a casting dilemma, it appears likely that the actor will howl in ‘Twilight’ sequel ”New Moon”. Taylor Lautner Decision on whether he’ll get to keep the Jacob role in Twilight sequel New Moon is expected this week.

Actor Taylor Lautner to eep Jacob role in Twilight sequel New Moon: According to sources around Hollywood, things may start looking very hairy for Taylor Lautner. The actor — not to mention legions of Twilight fans — has been desperate to learn whether Summit Entertainment will cast him once more as Jacob Black in the Twilight sequel New Moon.

This week, Summit is expected to announce its decision for the next film based on Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful series of vampire romance novels. Kristen Stewart, 18, is set to return as Bella Swan, the beautiful human who falls for a softhearted bloodsucker. And Robert Pattinson, 22, has a lock on his job too; his turn as Edward Cullen, the hunky, soulful vampire, has made him an overnight superstar with young female moviegoers around the planet. But Lautner, 16, has a more uncertain future. That’s because the character he was so perfectly cast to play in the first Twilight film — a slim, baby-faced teenager — will be greatly expanded in the sequel. And by greatly expanded, we mean into a hulking, snarling, seven-foot Lycan. ”Jacob is a totally different character in New Moon,” says Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter of both Twilight films. ”He’s a foot taller and huge — and he’s supposed to look 25. It’s really a question of whether or not the same actor can play the role.” Rosenberg is quick to add, however, that ”everyone would love to keep him. We all think he’s the loveliest person ever.”

Lautner’s certainly been doing everything in his mortal power to hang on to the part. Since Twilight, he’s gained 19 pounds and is promising to pack on 10 more before shooting starts on New Moon this March. And judging from a widely reprinted red-carpet interview, he’s not shy about letting Summit and New Moon’s director, Chris Weitz (who joined the fran­chise last month after Twilight’s director, Catherine Hardwicke, left over creative differences), know that he has the chops for the gig. ”My job for Twilight was to bring Twilight Jacob to life — the friendly, happy-go-lucky little Jacob,” he told MTV News. ”My job for New Moon is completely different. I’ve been looking forward to that. I’ve been getting ready for it, and I can assure them I will follow through with that.” NEXT PAGE:

Division within the Team Jacob camp.

Fans of the Twilight novels — specifically those who identify themselves as ”Team Jacob” — are divided over whether Lautner has the machismo to carry New Moon. In fact, pro-Lautner/anti-Lautner fights have been breaking out on the Web for weeks. As screenwriter Rosenberg puts it, ”He has to play a romantic lead against Rob, who’s a 22-year-old man. That’s a tall order.”

Summit declined to comment on the specifics of this story, but Twilight has so far grossed $263 million worldwide, and usually when a stu­dio hits franchise pay dirt it tries to keep all the parts in place. Yes, there are exceptions. Just this past October, Marvel announced it was replac­ing Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Nick Stahl took over for Edward Furlong as John Connor in Terminator 3, while Jake Gyl­lenhaal very nearly stole Spider-Man 2 out from under Tobey Maguire. Recently, there have been rumors that Michael Copon (The Scorpion King 2) and Steven Strait (10,000 BC) are jockeying for Lautner’s spot. But you can chalk that up to empty Web noise: Reps for both actors say nei­ther has been approached for the role. In fact, in what may shape up to be a triumph of the underdog, sources close to the production say that the simplest route would be to go with Laut­ner. EW has confirmed that the actor has not only met with director Weitz, but was even screen-tested for chemistry with Kristen Stew­art. ”I’m very hopeful,” a New Moon insider says of Lautner. ”We’re not looking at anybody else.”

The irony, it turns out, is that Summit went to an awful lot of trouble to find Lautner in the first place. In late 2007, the studio launched a nationwide cam­paign, auditioning hundreds of hopefuls in a search for just the right Native American actor to play Jacob Black. They never did find one — Lautner, turns out, is French, Dutch, and German — but it was a lot of work. Of course, nobody back then could have anticipated just how huge a phenome­non the first Twilight movie would become — or how much would end up riding on the casting of its sequel. Even if Lautner does keep his job, he may be nervous enough to start pulling his fur out.

More Twilight coverage:

Twilight sequel: Chris Weitz to direct ‘New Moon’
EW’s Twilight Headquarters
Twilight sequel: Who would you recast?
Twilight Trivia Challenge
Twilight: The EW Photo Album

I think that taylor should play in the next movie as jacob. How would it work if jacob is supposed to be bigger and look older. Yeah he did good in the first one and he did fool me at first i did hope that he was ndn. But i hope they find other native americans to play everyone else. It would be nice to see Eddie Spears play in the movie. Also i would like to find out the name of the guy that was with them at the beach the one in the middle not the older looking one.

Even Edward doesn’t take Taylor’s Jacob seriously!! At the prom, Edward looks disdainfully at Jacob but he’s so little and childish compared to sexy badass Edward. I think Taylor is hot but Steven Strait would be so much better – truer to the book. Geez, even Stephanie Meyers, the author, though Steven should play Jacob – just look at her blog!!

Thank goodness Taylor is going to be Jacob!! He deserves the role, and I can’t picture anyone else being Jacob. This is a huge sigh of relief for me!” I’m actually now looking forward to this movie, changing actors as main characters never flies over to well with most people, it serves as a distraction even though he did not have many scenes, he was visible for people to see

No matter who plays this part, they will have to use CGI to show the change from before and after Jacob becomes a shapeshifter. I think people are forgetting that he does start out New Moon looking 16, albeit a little taller. It is the change of becoming a shapeshifter that causes him to look 25. I should also mention that I’m 29 and I like Taylor as Jacob, so please don’t make generalizations about adult fans wanting an older actor.

Looks like Taylor is going to be Jacob. Though confused about the whole Michael Copon part. It says they were never contacted, but yet Michael supposedly posted on his facebook that he was going/wanted to be Jacob. I like Taylor has Jacob in Twilight, but has a 24 year old I was hoping for an older actor to play the new Jacob; or changed Jacob I should say, in NM. Taylor has a lot of fans, not the same as Rob, but the teens love him. I wonder how Rob and Kristen feel about this?

He seems like a nice kid, but they should find a new Jacob for the rest of the movies. Above and beyond the fact that he doesn’t have quite the heft, physically and personality-wise, he just isn’t a very good actor. That fact screamingly apparent when paired with Stewart and Pattinson.

All my hopes for New Moon being well made and true to the story, are slowly fading fast. Oh well who needs the film when I have the books. They mangled Twilight and now this. Tis a sad day. However the books are always way better than the movies. Thank you Stephenie Meyer!

Look at me, Bells. Do I look sixteen?” I glanced up and down his mammoth frame, trying to be unbiased. “Not exactly, I guess.” “Not at all. Because we reach full growth inside of a few months when the werewolf gene gets triggered. It’s one hell of a growth spurt.” He made a face. “Physically, I’m probably twenty-five or something.” Twenty-five or something. The idea messed with my head. But I remembered watching him shoot up and fill out right before my eyes.

Taylor was great in Twilight and I think he could do really well in New Moon if they do it correctly. I believe that he is very capable but with how they did the “sparkle” effect in Twilight makes me worried how they will make him look older.

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