Taylor Lautner securing his Jacob Black role in 'New Moon', Heath Ledger winning posthumous Oscar and Jonas Brothers' concert failing to score big at the box office were the highlights of early 2009.
- Dec 28, 2009
AceShowbiz - 2009 is drawing to a close. Although the year isn't marked with any crippling writers' strike or a shocking death of a Hollywood young talent like Heath Ledger, it does have a story of its own. Kate Winslet winning her first two Golden Globes, "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" logo being unveiled and Mickey Rourke finally aboard "Iron Man 2" are only a few events shaping up the film industry during the year's first three months. Here, AceShowbiz presents a look at the occurrences happening in movie biz over the first quarter.
JANUARY
January is highlighted with one significant news that sent many of the "Twilight" fans sighing for relief. After weeks of uncertainty, the question whether or not Taylor Lautner reprises his Jacob Black role in sequel "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" had been met with a satisfying answer. On January 8, director Chris Weitz confirmed that the teen actor will still play Jacob despite Summit Entertainment's earlier consideration to replace him with a more mature actor.
- Other major events of the month:
- Jan 04: "Marley & Me" was #1 at box office for the third weekend in a row.
- Jan 07: "The Dark Knight" grabbed most kudos at the 35th People's Choice Awards.
- Jan 07: Taylor Lautner was confirmed to reprise his role in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon".
- Jan 11: After seven nominations, Kate Winslet finally took home two Golden Globes at its 66th Annual Awards.
- Jan 15: The fate of "Watchmen" was determined as 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. settled their dispute over its rights for good.
- Jan 21: "Tom and Jerry" was being developed into live-action feature film.
- Jan 28: Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double was seriously injured during "Harry Potter 7" rehearsal.
FEBRUARY
Late Hollywood star Heath Ledger stole the spotlight in February when he became the second actor in Oscar history to win a posthumous Academy Award for acting. On February 22 at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, the Australian actor was dubbed Best Supporting Actor for his performance as lunatic Joker in "The Dark Knight", beating fierce competitors that include Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr. and Philip Seymour Hoffman. His family took the award on his behalf.
- Other major events of the month:
- Feb 05: "Sex and the City 2" was officially on the go.
- Feb 08: "Slumdog Millionaire" collected seven BAFTA trophies.
- Feb 08: "Wall-E" took two Grammys at the 51st annual Grammy Awards.
- Feb 15: "Friday the 13th" scored the best opening ever for a horror movie.
- Feb 19: Official title and logo for "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" revealed.
- Feb 21: "The Love Guru" dubbed 2008 Worst Picture at 29th annual Razzie Awards.
- Feb 22: Heath Ledger was given the Best Supporting Actor title by the Academy.
- Feb 24: "Harry Potter 7: Part II" locked July 15, 2011 as its release date.
- Feb 24: Marvel Studios confirmed Kenneth Branagh as "Thor" director.
- Feb 25: Samuel L. Jackson reached deal with Marvel to return as Nick Fury.
- Feb 25: Robert Pattinson's "Little Ashes" pushed back to avoid clash with Kristen Stewart's "Adventureland".
MARCH
March is marked by "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" failure to live up to its expectation. Predicted to gross in the $25 million range, the concert movie top-lined by musical trio Jonas Brothers missed industry projections by a clear mile. What made it even worse, it did not even manage to get close to what its predecessor, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour", hauled in 2008.
- Other major events of the month:
- Mar 01: "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" failed at the box office.
- Mar 02: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" got December 10, 2010 date.
- Mar 06: Dakota Fanning officially tapped to play Jane in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon".
- Mar 11: Scarlett Johansson confirmed as Black Widow and Mickey Rourke in for "Iron Man 2".
- Mar 12: "The First Avenger: Captain America" delayed to July 22, 2011.
- Mar 12: "Spider-Man 4" secured May 6, 2011 for its release date.
- Mar 13: Director Jon Favreau confirmed as "The Avengers" helmer.
- Mar 13: Keira Knightley turned down involvement in "Pirates of the Caribbean 4".
- Mar 16: "Transformers 3" locked July 1, 2011 as release date.
- Mar 24: Report about Robert Pattinson injured on "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" set clarified.
- Mar 30: "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" found its Caius in Jamie Campbell Bower.
