As series ends go, it's not difficult to see why they might want to make a few tweaks to the conclusion of Breaking Dawn for the film adaptation, if only to create a more satisfying and entertaining conclusion for movie-goers. At the very least, there's room for some adjustments there, and as it happens, the subject of Breaking Dawn Part 2's ending was brought up in EW's Fall Movie Preview issue, along with a few new photos from the film.
For those who haven't read the book and are trying to avoid spoilers, we'll get to the photos first and save the book-talk until after. Earlier this week, we shared one of the new photos, which had Bella giving Renesmee a present. Entertainment Weekly's article has a couple more Renesmee photos, including one of her, Bella and Jacob during Christmas, and one of Edward and Renesemee.
And, like the cover of the issue, the one below shows Edward and Bella looking very happy and comfortable together…
No one's smiling in this one. Are we looking at something toward the end of the book?
Included in EW's article (and the caption for the above photo) is some talk about the ending of the movie.
Spoiler Warning: This is where we talk about the ending of the book, so stop reading if you don't want to know anything about how the story ends.
One of the issues I had with the conclusion of the book was that, while everything is explained and resolved, for all of the build-up leading to the Cullens' confrontation with the Volturi, things seemed to fizzle in the end, with a conclusion that was almost too happy. That may just be my preference for story-endings, but for all of the tension worked up leading to the end, things came together a bit too neatly in Breaking Dawn's final chapters. Perhaps this was Meyer's way of being merciful, and I can't really blame her for wanting to do that (or fans for appreciating it), but with so much momentum built up leading up to the end, the conclusion wasn't as explosive as it seems like it could have been.
This may or may not fall in line with the general opinion on the series, but looking at it from a movie perspective, I wondered how they were going to bring the story together at the end. Would we be watching the main characters stand around, engaged in a tense discussion about Renesmee, whether or not she's an "immortal child" and whether or not she poses a threat to the vampires' way of life? How would they demonstrate Bella's "mind shield"? And would the book's conclusion be adaptable to the big screen in a satisfying and entertaining way, especially when factoring in the build-up and the outcome? EW doesn't give us any major specifics on how the film ends, but it sounds like some changes were made (changes that surprised star Robert Pattinson), and Meyer was involved in the concept:
Even devoted readers of Meyer's books are in for a pretty big shock in the final third of the film, when the plot strays from the last novel in a sequence dreamed up by Meyer and longtime screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg one night over dinner. ''When I first read the script, I got to that part and was like, 'What?' '' Pattinson says. ''And then I had to go back a page.'' Still, even those averse to change will be more than satisfied, and probably thrilled, by how the series ends. The actors certainly are. Says Pattinson, ''It does it a serious justice.''
I expect that those who do like the ending of the book might consider this bad news, but I'm intrigued, and I'll be very curious to see how far the story strays from the book in the final third of the film.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 arrives in theaters November 16. More information, photos and videos can be found in our Blend Film Database.
