The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn: Part 2) is a 2012 American romantic drama fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. Constituting the second of a two-part adaptation of the novel, the film is the fifth and final installment in The Twilight Saga film series, following 2011's Breaking Dawn: Part 1. All three main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprise their roles, with Mackenzie Foy portraying Renesmee Cullen. Alongside Pattinson, Lautner, Stewart, and Foy, the film also stars an ensemble cast including Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, and Dakota Fanning.

Part 2 was released on November 16, 2012. The film, despite mixed critical reception, was a box office success, grossing nearly $830 million worldwide against production budget of $136 million, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2012 and the highest-grossing film of The Twilight Saga series.

Plot
Bella, who has just given birth, awakens from her human-to-vampire transformation and is introduced to her daughter Renesmee. The rest of the Cullens and Jacob stay nearby, and when Jacob acts possessively towards Renesmee, Bella learns he has imprinted on her, making her furious until Jacob explains what imprinting is. Meanwhile, Bella's father, Charlie, has been trying to contact the Cullens for updates on Bella's health. Carlisle comes to believe that they have to leave Forks, Washington to protect their identities - especially because of Charlie. Jacob, desperate not to lose Renesmee, visits Charlie and tells him that Bella is alive and well, but had to change in order to get better. Jacob also tells Charlie he doesn't live in the world he thinks he lives in, but says nothing about vampires. He then phases into his wolf form. Charlie then visits the Cullen house and meets Renesmee, believing she is a niece of Edward's whom Bella and Edward adopted. Afterward, the Cullens are able to stay in Forks.

Several months pass with Carlisle monitoring Renesmee's rapid growth. On an outing in the woods, a bitter Irina sees Renesmee from a distance and assumes she's an immortal child without asking any questions. Immortal children were vampires who were changed in childhood, and because they could not be trained nor restrained, they destroyed entire villages. They were eventually executed, as were the parents who created them, and the creation of such children outlawed. Irina goes to the Volturi to report what she has seen. Alice sees the Volturi and Irina coming to kill the Cullens, and instructs the others to gather as many witnesses as they can to testify that Renesmee is not an immortal child. The Cullens begin to summon witnesses, such as the Denali family. One of the Denali, Eleazar, later discovers that Bella has a special ability: a powerful mental shield which had protected her from Edward's mind reading even when she was human, and which she is taught to extend to protect others from vampire powers.

As some of their potential witnesses are attacked and prevented from supporting the Cullens, Carlisle and Edward realize they may have to fight the Volturi. Their witnesses ultimately agree to stand with them in battle, having realized the Volturi increased their Guard by falsely accusing covens of crimes, destroying them and then recruiting the vampires with gifts. The Volturi arrive prepared for battle, led by Aro, who is eager to obtain the gifted members of the Cullen coven as part of his Guard. Aro is allowed to touch Renesmee, and is convinced that she is not an immortal child. Irina is brought forth and takes full responsibility for her mistake, leading to her immediate death. Aro still insists that Renesmee may pose a risk in the future, validating his claim that battle is necessary. Before any violence, Alice shares with Aro her vision of the battle that is to come, during which both sides sustain heavy casualties, including Aro, who would also die. Aro believes her, giving Alice and Jasper an opportunity to reveal their witness, Nahuel (a half-mortal half-vampire just like Renesmee). The witness proves that he is not a threat, supporting the notion that Renesmee is not a threat. The Volturi unhappily leave, explaining that there will be no battle today.

Back at the Cullen home, Alice glimpses the future, seeing Edward and Bella together with Jacob and a fully matured Renesmee also together. Edward reads Alice's mind and feels relieved that Renesmee has Jacob to protect her. Alone in the meadow, Bella pushes her mental shield away and finally allows Edward to see into her mind, showing him every moment she and Edward shared together and the two share a kiss after Bella telling Edward, "Nobody has ever loved anybody as much as I love you", and both Edward and Bella say they will love each other and be together forever.

Cast

 * Kristen Stewart as Bella Cullen (nee Swan) - Edward’s wife, Renesmee’s mother, Jacob’s best friend and Charlie’s daughter.
 * Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen - Bella’s husband, Renesmee’s father, Carlisle and Esme’s adopted son and Alice and Emmett’s adopted brother.
 * Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black - Bella’s childhood best friend and Renesmee’s protector.
 * Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee Cullen - Bella and Edward’s daughter and Charlie’s granddaughter.
 * Ashley Greene as Alice Hale (nee Cullen) - Bella’s best friend, Edward and Emmett’s adopted sister, Jasper’s wife and Carlisle and Esme’s adopted daughter.
 * Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale - Alice’s husband.
 * Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen - Esme’s husband, Edward, Alice and Emmett’s adopted father and Bella, Jasper and Rosalie’s father-in-law and Renesmee’s grandfather.
 * Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen - Carlisle’s wife, Edward, Alice and Emmett’s adopted mother, Bella, Jasper and Rosalie’s mother-in-law and Renesmee’s grandmother.
 * Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen - Rosalie’s husband, Edward and Alice’s adopted brother and Carlisle and Esme’s adopted son.
 * Nikki Reed as Rosalie Cullen (nee Hale) - Emmett’s wife.
 * Billy Burke as Charlie Swan - Bella’s father, Renesmee’s grandfather and Edward’s father-in-law.
 * Maggie Grace as Irina - Denali coven.
 * Michael Sheen as Aro - Volturi coven.
 * Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius - Volturi coven.
 * Dakota Fanning as Jane - Volturi coven.
 * Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus - Volturi coven.
 * Casey LaBow as Kate - Denali coven.
 * MyAnna Buring as Tanya - Denali coven.
 * Lee Pace as Garrett - Denali coven.
 * Christian Camargo as Eleazar - Denali coven.
 * Mía Maestro as Carmen
 * Noel Fisher as Vladimir
 * Joe Anderson as Alistair
 * Cameron Bright as Alec
 * Angela Sarafyan as Tia
 * Rami Malek as Benjamin
 * Booboo Stewart as Seth Clearwater
 * Daniel Cudmore as Felix
 * Ty Olsson as Phil
 * Alex Meraz as Paul
 * Judith Shekoni as Zafrina
 * Charlie Bewley as Demetri
 * J. D. Pardo as Nahuel
 * Wendell Pierce as J. Jenks
 * Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater
 * Lateef Crowder as Santiago
 * Andrea Powell as Sasha
 * Toni Trucks as Mary
 * Andrea Gabriel as Kebi
 * Austin Naulty as Werewolf
 * Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call
 * Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley
 * Bronson Pelletier as Jared
 * Marisa Quinn as Huilen
 * Omar Metwally as Amun
 * Valorie Curry as Charlotte
 * Tracey Heggins as Senna
 * Marlane Barnes as Maggie
 * Guri Weinberg as Stefan
 * Erik Odom as Peter
 * Tyson Houseman as Quil Ateara
 * Gil Birmingham as Billy Black
 * Lisa Howard as Siobhan
 * Bill Tangradi as Randall
 * Patrick Brennan as Liam
 * Amadou Ly as Henri
 * Janelle Froehlich as Yvette
 * Masami Kosaka as Toshiro

Cam Gigandet (James), Rachelle Lefevre, and Bryce Dallas Howard (Victoria), Edi Gathegi (Laurent), Jodelle Ferland (Bree Tanner), and various other actors from the previous films make cameos during the ending credits.

Development
In May 2010, Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli were the only cast actors who were confirmed for both parts of Breaking Dawn, while other cast members such as Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz were still in negotiations for a second part. If the actors holding Summit back from making an official announcement did not reach an agreement with them, the studio would not have minded recasting their roles, as was done in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse with Bryce Dallas Howard's character, Victoria. However, in June 2010, Summit officially confirmed that a two-part adaptation of the fourth book would start production and it was made clear that all major actors, including the three lead roles, the Cullen family, and Charlie Swan, would return for both parts.

Pre-production
By August 2009, Rosenberg said that the scripts for Part 1 and 2 were 75 to 85 percent completed. She found the greatest challenge in writing the scripts to be the final sequence of Part 2: "The final battle sequence is a big challenge because it lasts 25 pages", she said. "It's almost an entire three-act story in and of itself. You have to track [keep it all in one setting] hundreds of characters. It's an enormous challenge to choreograph on the page and for Bill [Condon] to choreograph on the stage." She had written various drafts of the scene but, at that, hadn't revised or discussed them with Condon yet. She said, "That's the next big hurdle to sit down with the stunt coordinator and create the ballet. It's a lot of work. I'm exhausted, but we're intent on making them the best scripts yet." Godfrey called Part 2 "an action film in terms of life-and-death stakes" and said that in Part 1 "there are the pangs of newlywed tension that occur that are relatable even in a fantasy film. Marriage is not quite the experience that they thought it was." Condon thought of Part 1 "as a real companion piece to Catherine Hardwicke's movie". Condon explains, "Like, everything that got set up there gets resolved here. I think you'll find that there are stylistic and other nods to that film."

Godfrey considered releasing the second film in 3D to differentiate between the time before and after Bella becomes a vampire, an idea originally proposed for Eclipse, but said that the decision is up to Condon. However, he said that if the second film were to be released in 3D, he would like to shoot it with the proper equipment in "real" 3D as was done with Avatar (2009), not convert it into 3D in post-production as was done with Clash of the Titans (2010). On February 12, 2012 it was confirmed that Part 2 would not be filmed in 3D.

Filming
Filming started on November 1, 2010 and wrapped, for most of the cast, on April 15, 2011, ending the franchise's three years of production since March 2008. Filming was shot on location in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; Vancouver, British Columbia; and New York City, New York. Filming also occurred at Raleigh Studios in Baton Rouge.

On the subject of the final day and her final moment as Bella, Stewart stated, "After that scene, my true final scene, I felt like I could shoot up into the night sky and every pore of my body would shoot light. I felt lighter than I've ever felt in my life." Pattinson thought the day was "amazing" and commented, "I then asked myself why we didn't do this in those four years. Every difficult moment just vanished."

In April 2012, the crew and cast, including Pattinson and Stewart, returned for reshoots to pick up some additional shots for technical work with some of the cast and stunt actors. These re-shoots did not include any new scenes or dialogue.

Special effects
Tippett Studio first began working on the CGI (computer-generated imagery) wolves in February 2009 for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and the look of the creatures has evolved, becoming more photo real over the course of the saga, with the input of three different directors. "It's a subtle balance of just how anthropomorphic these wolves are," says Eric Leven. "Bill (Condon) wanted to make sure that we had a sense of the human or the shape shifter in there. Finding that balance of how much of a human performance versus an animal performance was important for Bill."

Leven adds, "Bill has always treated the wolves as characters and never as computer generated things, and directs them in the same way he'd direct any actor. He would always give us direction like Sam should be angrier. It's the best way to work. His treating these creatures as characters, instead of just computer bits, was really great."

"Because we've been working on this franchise for such a prolonged period of time, we've been able to improve the look from show to show," comments Phil Tippett. "Wolves generally are pretty darn clean and since Bill wanted the wolves rangier, that means a lot more fur matting and clumping, like they've lived out in the woods. We edged towards something a bit more feral."

"However, there is also a balance between look and technology," adds Tippett. "The body count of the wolves escalates and because we're adding a great deal more hair to get the right texture, that fur really ups the rendering time. We've gone from four wolves to eight to twelve, to sixteen in Part 2. So we have to be very careful about that balance, because it takes hundreds of hours to render each wolf."

Music
It was revealed in January 2012 that the soundtrack for Part 2 had already started production. Confirmed for the soundtrack in advance were "Heart of Stone" by Iko, which plays when Edward and Bella are talking in the cottage after finding Alice's note and "Where I Come From" by Passion Pit, which will play when Bella wakes up from her transformation. The lead single from the soundtrack is "The Forgotten", performed by the American rock band Green Day. "A Thousand Years, Pt. 2" by the American singer Christina Perri is also featured on the soundtrack album.

Carter Burwell, the composer of Twilight and Breaking Dawn: Part 1, returned to score the final installment of the series.

Box office
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 has earned $292,324,737 in North America and $537,360,640 in other territories for a worldwide total of $829,685,377. The film is now the 46th-highest-grossing film of all time, the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2012, and the highest-grossing film of the Twilight series. It had a $340.9 million worldwide opening, which was the eighth-largest ever, the largest for the Twilight franchise, and the largest for a film released outside the summer period.

In North America, the film grossed $30.4 million in Thursday night and midnight showings, achieving the third-highest midnight gross and the highest midnight gross of the franchise. Breaking Dawn – Part 2 made an $71.2 million on its opening day, which is the sixth-highest opening- and single-day gross as well as the third-highest of the franchise. For its opening weekend, the movie earned $141.1 million, which is the 13th-highest-grossing opening weekend of all time, the second-highest-grossing of the franchise, the third-largest November opening, and the fourth-largest opening of 2012. It retained first place in its second weekend by dropping 69.1% with a gross of $43.6 million over the three-day weekend and made a total of $64.4 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In its third weekend, Breaking Dawn Part – 2 held onto the No. 1 spot again by dropping 60.1% and grossing $17.4 million. It became the third-highest-grossing film of the franchise behind Eclipse and New Moon.

Outside North America, the film opened on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 in six countries earning $13.8 million. By Thursday, it had opened in 37 territories, earning $38.8 million. In all territories, it opened with similar or higher earnings than its immediate predecessor. Through its first Friday, it earned $91.0 million, after expanding to 61 territories. By the end of its opening weekend (Wednesday–Sunday), it scored a series-best $199.5 million opening from 61 territories on 12,812 screens. This is the eighth-largest opening outside North America and the largest 2012 opening. IMAX showings generated $3 million from 82 locations. The film's largest openings were recorded in the UK, Ireland, and Malta ($25.2 million), Russia and the CIS ($22.0 million), and France and the Maghreb region ($17.9 million). In Spain, it set a three-day opening-weekend record with $11.9 million. In total earnings, its three highest-grossing markets after North America are the UK, Ireland, and Malta ($57.9 million), Brazil ($54.2 million), and Russia and the CIS ($42.8 million).

Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics, but the reviews were much more favorable than those of its predecessor. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 49% rating, based on 193 reviews with the consensus stating: "It's the most entertaining Twilight, but that's not enough to make Breaking Dawn Part 2 worth watching for filmgoers who don't already count themselves among the franchise converts." At Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on reviews from 31 critics. Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave it an average rating of 'A'. The majority of praise from both fans and critics went towards the ending sequence, Michael Sheen's performance as the Volturi leader Aro and Lee Pace's performance as vampire Garrett.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The final installment of the immortal Bella/Edward romance will give its breathlessly awaiting international audience just what it wants". Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said, "Breaking Dawn: Part 2 starts off slow but gathers momentum, and that's because, with Bella and Edward united against the Volturi, the picture has a real threat". Sara Stewart of the New York Post wrote, "Finally, someone took the source material at its terribly written word and stopped treating the whole affair so seriously". Justin Chang of Variety praised the performance of Stewart by saying, "No longer a mopey, lower-lip-biting emo girl, this Bella is twitchy, feral, formidable and fully energized, a goddess even among her exalted bloodsucker brethren". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "Despite the slow start Mr. Condon closes the series in fine, smooth style. He gives fans all the lovely flowers, conditioned hair and lightly erotic, dreamy kisses they deserve".

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "its audience, which takes these films very seriously indeed, will drink deeply of its blood. The sensational closing sequence cannot be accused of leaving a single loophole, not even some of those we didn't know were there". He concluded by saying, ""Breaking Dawn, Part 2" must be one of the more serious entries in any major movie franchise... it bit the bullet, and I imagine fans will be pleased." Helen O'Hara of Empire gave the film a mixed review and said, "Fans will be left on a high; other viewers will be confused but generally entertained by a saga whose romance is matched only by its weirdness".

Home media
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 2, 2013. As of June 1, 2014, Breaking Dawn: Part 2 has sold 4,810,249 DVDs along with 1,224,869 Blu-ray Discs for $71,418,469 and $24,472,107 respectively totaling $99,195,325.

Spin-offs
In September 2016, Lionsgate co-chairman Patrick Wachsberger stated that a sequel was "a possibility" but would only go ahead if Stephenie Meyer wanted to do one. On August 8, 2017, Variety reported that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has interest in having spinoffs made for The Twilight Saga, and wants to create a writers' room to explore the idea.