Twilight Director Passed on Moon, Not the Other Way Around

Catherine Hardwicke claims she was offered too much money and too little time to do sequel

Looks like the grapes of Twilight were simply too ripe for Catherine Hardwicke.

The director of the first entry of the Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart-fronted series claims in her new book, Twilight: Director's Notebook, that she passed on the chance to helm the sequel, New Moon, and not the other way around, according to Entertainment Weekly's first look at the tome.

She and Summit Entertainment were amidst negotiations when the production company offered her a startling sum.

"[It was] more money than I or anyone in my family has ever seen," she says, but the caveat was working on a tight budget and an even tighter deadline.

When she passed on the opportunity, "I was devastated," she writes. "I really did feel a strong connection to the people around the world that liked the movie-and to Stephenie [Meyer] and the actors. But I didn't think I could make a good movie under those circumstances."

Summit hired Golden Compass director Chris Weitz to take the lead on New Moon, but with a considerably different deal than they offered Hardwicke.

"I know the budget they were talking about with me—they've already gone way beyond that," she tells the magazine. "I'm optimistic that it's going to be great, and I'm sad that it didn't work out for me to do it."

Twilight: Director's Notebook also features a diagram of the high school cafeteria and behind-the-scenes photos. The book hits shelves on March 17, just four days before the DVD release of the blockbuster hit. New Moon is set to land in theaters on Nov. 20.