They has been much speculation as to whether Catherine Hardwicke was fired or walked away from the Twilight sequel, New Moon. But nobody ever heard from Catherine Hardwicke what actually happened.

In the press that she is doing for Red Riding Hood, which opens next week, Hardwicke finally went on the record herself to The Daily Beast/Newsweek as to what happened.

Despite Twilight’s $400 million global success, Hardwicke left the franchise when it came to the sequel. She said it was her decision, despite a blog report that she was fired. “I couldn’t even be fired, that’s what’s so funny,” she says. “In my contract, I had the first right of refusal.” She turned down the second film, she says, because the studio wanted to rush it out. “I do not regret it at all, thank the Lord,” she says. “The truth is I liked the first book the best.”

I love that she had the right of first refusal. And btw I find it interesting that the article had two different titles in the different publications. In Newsweek it was called “Not Your Grandma’s ‘Red Riding Hood’”, and in the Daily Beast: “”Catherine Hardwicke: Hollywood’s Most Powerful Female Director.”

Catherine Hardwicke: Hollywood’s Most Powerful Female Director (Daily Beast)
Not Your Grandma’s ‘Red Riding Hood’ (Newsweek)