Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Panel: A Horrific Treat

I managed to get in to see the panel featuring members of the The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) cast and their director this morning at Comic Con, even without sleeping outside since Monday. Thank you, Poptimal, for the press badge.

Director Bill Condon took the stage first and chatted a bit about how in his mind this fourth installment has more of a horror bent than the previous films. Obviously everyone wants to know about the birthing scene, and when Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner joined him on stage, much of the panel was spent discussing just that. They didn’t show any clips of that particular segment, but if you want to take Kristen’s word for it, they “didn’t pull any punches.”

I don’t know about you, but that statement scares me a little.

Kristen also spoke about how the new mother aspect of her character really resonated with her, and also how easily she believes girls her age can relate. Bella is really pushed in this film, with wedding night scene, a baby, drinking blood, werewolf attacks, and everything else that is thrown at her in these two plus hours. I certainly hope we’ll see the character grow and gain the confidence she eventually found in the novels.

The initial clip they showed us was a scene derived from the book, but not necessarily in the book We saw Jacob deal with the consequences of his choice to stay at Bella’s side, to remain her friend even though she’s preggers with Edward’s half-vampire baby. We were treated to an intense confrontation with Paul and some others of Sam’s crew and we hear him announce his intention to murder Bella’s baby once it is born.

That’s probably not going to happen. Just saying.

The second clip gave us a glimpse into the oh-so-anticipated honeymoon on the deserted island. I have to say, it was different than I expected and I kind of like the way they handled it. The scene is awkward, and mostly we watch Bella freak out facing her “first time” as she figures out what to wear, frantically brushes her teeth, etc. It showed her in the vulnerable light of frightened young girl – which is, of course, exactly what she is. Fantastic clip that ended just as she stepped out onto the beach sans clothes…and I have to say. I wanted to see the rest.

After the clip Kristen talked a bit about how she loved playing a Bella who finally realizes how strong she is. Though the pregnancy is hard, and almost kills her, Bella is “stronger than most women because she has some of *that* (motions at screen) in her. Literally.”

That got quite a laugh and I must say, this panel is the most comfortable I’ve ever seen Kristen Stewart in front of a crowd.

According to director Bill Condon, “Kristen knows these books so well, she’s the biggest fan you will ever meet.” They answered questions regarding the adaptation, and how they decided the best way to bring the book onto the screen. Rob Pattinson added, “Having Stephenie Meyer on set was great” and Condon mentioned how hard they tried to really “get inside Bella’s head, since the stories are all from her point of view.”

Taylor, for his part, got the majority of the questions from the fans. I’m far too old to fawn over the boy but for those of you wondering, he looks in person exactly as he does on film. Which is to say, strikingly handsome and with a disturbingly white smile.

Several questions were lobbed regarding his role in the upcoming Abduction, but Taylor refused to pick one role above the other. He’s excited to explore new characters and new directions, but recognizes that the Twilight franchise has given him so much.

In fact, they all made mention of that fact more than once and as a whole the main three cast members came across as humble people trying to enjoy a ride they know will soon be over. They impressed me with thoughtful, articulate answers and a combined relaxed, good natured handling of the entire panel.

Taylor was asked which of the films was his favorite to make. He responded “The third book I loved, but this movie is my favorite. In this movie you’re really able to see all of the characters in different lights we’ve never seen before. We’re all mired in these really intense situations…it was a challenge but we had a lot of fun.”

These kids won my little pea-picking author heart by referencing their source material so often and with such reverence.

Someone asked Taylor if there’s anything about Jacob that is like him, and to that he said (with a rather disarming smile) “I love Jacob. He has a lot of good qualities. Jacob is loyal, he’s persistent…so if the people around me compared me to him, I’d be honored.”

Rob had very strange hair working, which you’ll hopefully be able to see from the pictures. That’s all I have to say about that.

The panel completed with the teaser trailer that’s available to everyone, though I hadn’t yet had the chance to view it.

I have to say, it looks fantastic. The trailer is dark, it’s intense, it utilizes all the right words that hit all the right nerves for fans of the book. The music sends chills up, down, and all around.

All in all, the panel made something happen to me that I didn’t think possible.

I’m kind of really looking forward to this film now.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) is scheduled to open November 18, 2011 in the USA.

For more on San Diego Comic-Con 2011, click here.

Images courtesy of Poptimal.com

Twilight cast (left to right): Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Julia Jones, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser Twilight cast (left to right): Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Julia Jones, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser	Twilight cast (left to right): Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Julia Jones, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser Twilight cast (left to right): Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Julia Jones, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser	Kristen Stewart, Julia Jones (left to right) Kristen Stewart, Julia Jones (left to right)
Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed (left to right) Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed (left to right)	Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson	Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson (left to right) Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson (left to right)
Kristen Stewart Kristen Stewart	Bill Condon, Director Bill Condon, Director	Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson
Taylor Lautner Taylor Lautner	Taylor Lautner Taylor Lautner	Taylor Lautner Taylor Lautner
Ashley Greene Ashley Greene	Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson	Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart (left to right) Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart (left to right)
Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart (left to right) Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart (left to right)