Stick A Fork In Chris Weitz?

Chris Weitz being hired to direct the high-profile Twilight sequel New Moon was nothing short of an act of God. I’m absolutely not taking a swipe at the guy. But let’s face it, his previous feature The Golden Compass was nut-job expensive and wound up being nothing short of a disaster here in the U.S. commercially. The fact that it actually turned out a solid profit internationally is beside the point. That single film will unfairly be forever labeled as “the film that brought down New Line Cinema.”

Despite all of that, Summit turned to him of all people to fast-track New Moon into development for its pre-determined November 2009 release. After the beating Weitz took and the “You’re only as good as your last movie” mentality in Hollywood, you tell me that’s not a miracle. He’ll have an easier time taking meetings after this weekend when New Moon will in all probability open anywhere from $85 to $100 million. At the very least, he’ll get plenty of offers.

But it could be all for naught if this turns out to be more than just talk. In a recent interview conducted with MovieMaker, Weitz confesses he’s about ready to call it a day with directing in the near future. At least after his next film which is expected to be an L.A. set half English/half Spanish script The Gardener.

Again that’s assuming this is more than talk. I don’t know his heart and his experience on Compass can be thanked for him being in his mind-set. He’s had his hand involved with a number of very good films like In Good Company and About A Boy. So if Weitz is as good as his word and walks, that’s not exactly something to be happy about, folks.