Taylor Lautner has shown off his 26 lbs-plus weight gain of muscle mass in a clip for Access Hollywood, where he gives us Twilighters a peek at his crazily ripped six-pack and bulging biceps!
Blindie can see how he kept his job as a much more ripped Jacob Black in the Twilight sequel New Moon–and we’re wondering if bean pole waif Robert Pattinson is at all threatened by the 16-year-old’s new muscles!
“Jacob is in and Edward is out,” Lautner says. And Blindie must agree!
Although our favorite teen cutie Taylor Lautner has already been cast in the Twilight sequel New Moon, Blindie thought Entertainment Weekly did a great job in dissecting the drama surrounding his casting as Jacob Black.
As screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg put it, the friction over the last month has been on whether 16-year-old Lautner could “play a romantic lead against Rob, who’s a 22-year-old man. That’s a tall order.” Therefore rumors began swirling around a possible recasting of a more mature and hunky Jacob, with possible choices in Michael Copon (The Scorpion King 2) and Steven Strait (10,000 BC).
Now that Lautner’s keeping his job, we’re hoping Copon and Strait may be considered to play pack leader Sam Uley!
“My experience on Twilight was wonderful and I am looking forward to continuing on with the team for New Moon,” Lautner said in the official statement. “I have been working hard preparing for the physicality that this role will require and can’t wait to get started with the filming of New Moon.”
Here’s the news straight from the Meyer’s website:
Good news about New Moon from director Chris Weitz:
I’m very happy to announce that Taylor Lautner will be playing Jacob Black in New Moon and that he’s doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit Entertainment, the producers, and Stephenie Meyer.
The characters in Stephenie’s books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series. But it was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part. I think that fans of Twilight the book and the movie will be surprised by the Jacob Black that Taylor will bring to the screen in New Moon; and I’m looking forward to working with him and the rest of the cast in realizing the film.
very best
Chris Weitz
Then Meyer adds:
I’d just like to add that I was very much a part of this decision. My first priority was always what was best for New Moon—what was going to give us the best possible movie. I’m truly thrilled that Taylor was the one who proved to the director, to Summit, and to me that he is the best possible Jacob we could have. And I’m very much looking forward to seeing what he’s going to bring to Jacob’s character this year.
Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who is also penning New Moon, is speaking out in support of Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black in the upcoming sequel—scheduled to shoot in March.
“Everyone would love to keep him,” Rosenberg told Entertainment Weekly. “We all think he’s the loveliest person ever.”
But the screenwriter also points out that New Moon MAY need another actor (even though Lautner put on more than 19 lbs for the role) to fill Jacob’s much-bigger shoes.
“Jacob is a totally different character in New Moon,” she explains. “He’s a foot taller and huge – and he’s supposed to look 25. It’s really a question of whether or not the same actor can play the role.”
Twilighters have been going bonkers over the possible recasting of Quillete werewolf Jacob Black, reportedly going to former Power Ranger and Scorpion King 2 star Michael Copon.
“I see so much in Jacob Black that I feel like wasn’t brought to the first film that if I had the opportunity, I would totally create an amazing character,” Copon told J-14 in December. “He’s more than just a guy who walks around and smiles and likes Bella. It’s just too one-sided. It’s two colors and I feel like Jacob is full of a hundred colors.”
A film review of Twilight by the University of Minnesota’s student paper criticizes Summit Entertainment for changing the skin color of actors Taylor Lautner (who plays Native American Jacob Black) and Nikki Reed (who plays translucent blond vampire Rosalie Hale) to fit their roles in the blockbuster vampire flick.
“The make-up artists and casters, for some reason or another, decided that it was ok to change the race of actors if need be, and did so in at least two noticeable occasions,” critic Rebecca Lang, who calls these actions “trespasses,” says.
“Taylor Lautner is painted brown and given a long black wig to play the Native American character Jacob Black,” she points out, “and Thirteen star Nikki Reed appears to have been bleached white and stuck in a blonde wig. Naturally quite striking, the new look leaves her … puffy.”
While Lautner is actually part-Native American, Reed previously admitted that her transformation was the most dramatic. The brunette admitted to damaging her hair to go blond and even going as far as undergoing skin-bleaching procedures to lighten her glowing olive complexion.
“I had the biggest transformation out of everybody,” Reed said during press junkets for the film. “I actually dyed my hair blonde and bleached my skin. Everything of mine that I associate with myself, like my mole, that was all gone. So I had to look in the mirror and see a different person every day.”
In our continual effort to bring you all things Jacob Black-Taylor Lautner news, Blindie just discovered that Lautner is listed as Jacob Black on the New MoonIMDB page.
We don’t know if this indicates he’s in the Twilight sequel or not, but at least it provides a bit of hope for Twilighters. In addition to Lautner, the whole Cullen coven, from Rosalie to Jasper, is listed as well, including costar Ashley Greene (Alice), who’s been cheerleading her young costar.
“We all love Taylor. He’s the best kid,” Greene told MTV. “He’s so adorable and so good-hearted, and he’s a good actor too. He did a great job, so I’m hoping to see him come back.”
We’re hoping that Taylor’s meeting with new director Chris Weitz went well last Friday. Wouldn’t that be the perfect Christmas present?!
At the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Salute to Young Hollywood party in L.A. on Wednesday, Taylor Lautner spoke of his desire to return as Jacob Black in the Twilight sequel, New Moon.
“I’ve been working out since the day we finished filming Twilight. I just weighed myself today; I’ve put on 19 pounds,” Lautner told MTV News of gaining weight to be a much-bigger Jacob. “I’m guaranteeing [director Chris] Weitz 10 more [pounds] by filming.”
Lautner revealed that he’s having lunch with the new director on Friday, hoping to impress him and land the part, which is reportedly going to Scorpion King 2 star Michael Copon.
“I’ve heard a few things,” Lautner said of Copon, who declared he nabbed the role on his personal Facebook page. “I don’t really know too much to comment on it. As far as I know, I haven’t been told ‘no’ yet, so it’s still all up in the air.”
“All I can say is, I’m going to be ready if my number’s called,” Lautner added.
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