Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

TWILIGHT's Peter Facinelli: Making His Own Movies

While worldwide audiences may credit Summit Entertainment's TWILIGHT franchise with introducing the world to Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and highest-paid teen acting sensation Taylor Lautner, the clutch of vampire movies based on Stephenie Meyers' best-selling books is also responsible for launching independent production companies for Peter Facinelli and series screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg.

Peter Facinelli, who plays Rob Pattinson's onscreen father Dr. Cullen in the TWILIGHT series, founded Facinelli Films with producing partner Rob DeFranco. His company is finishing its first feature film, LOOSIES, in which Facinelli stars based on a script he wrote. They are also producing PAZ, a boxing biopic. 

A movie writer as well as a production company helmer, Peter wrote the screenplay for EL CHICO BLANCO, which will begin shooting in June, 2011. This film about a white boy in the barrio, set in New Mexico. Carl Franklin (HIGH CRIMES) is slated to direct in a collaboration with CEO Brad Feinstein's company, Titan Worldwide Entertainment. (Hyde Park Entertainment will handle foreign rights for this film.)

"Carl's vision is perfectly in keeping with my script," Facinelli said. "I look forward to filming this as soon as I wrap BREAKING DAWN."

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has been a constant in the TWILIGHT franchise with changes in directors from Catherine Hardwicke to Bill Condon. "I come out of television," she said, "where directors come and go, but the writer is kept on."

Recently she was up for a WGA Award as part of the writing team for DEXTER.

Rosenberg said she left after DEXTER's fourth season to pursue her own projects, among penning back-to-back TWILIGHT sequel adaptations for ECLIPSE and BREAKING DAWN.

At almost 6' without heels, the Marin, California, native said she formed Tall Girls Productions "for obvious reasons."

Projects lined up include: "a pilot for ABC based on a 'graphic novel.' A remake of THE HIGHLANDER, another project for Summit Entertainment, and I want to bring up young writers, and hope to create strong roles for women."

"They are finishing up production on both TWILIGHT's now," she added, and for the record, "I love both (Rob and Taylor)!"

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