I didn’t expect back-to-back posts concerning Bill Condon today, but anyway, one of the more unexpected developments over the last few months was Condon signing on to direct “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn,” the final installment in the fan-heavy “Twilight” series.

I thought it was totally left-field, given the direction his career has taken since the days of “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh,” but with HBO’s Hollywood blogger send-up “Tilda” going into production any day, and the Marlon Wayons-starring biopic “Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?” still on deck, it’s rather clear Condon isn’t interested in pigeonholing himself or his career.

Thinking of it in those terms, I’m game.  Maybe it’ll be the first film from the series I actually watch.

Meanwhile, /Film (via Thompson on Hollywood) dug up an interesting nugget in all of this, being Condon’s open letter to TwiHards (or TwiTards, depending on your opinion of the series, I suppose).  Check out what the Oscar-winner had to say after the jump.

Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,

I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I’m stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you’ve probably heard, I’ve been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit – who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.

I’m pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I’ve read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine’s and Chris’s movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine’s notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz’s companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk – a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for “newborn” status in the universe you’ve been living inside for a few years now, but a guy’s gotta start somewhere.

Like many of you, I’ve always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn’t been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I’ve been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.

The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don’t think it’s difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy – and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.

I’m a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?

Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I’ll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.

All best,

Bill Condon

P.S. Answer #1: No, there won’t be any musical numbers

Check out Facebook for more, including, I imagine, plenty of comments from the faithful.  For what it’s worth, 7,174 users indicate they “like” the note.  I guess that’s a start.

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