Chris Weitz Says He Lucked Out In Getting To Direct New Moon

SANTA CLARITA, California — Die-hard fans of "The Twilight Saga" showed up at various retailers across the country Friday night, waiting to get their hands on a copy of "New Moon." The second installment of the series, which hit theaters back in November, comes out on DVD and Blu-ray Saturday (March 20), and many retailers held midnight release parties to celebrate the event.

Those lucky enough to live in the Los Angeles area were given a treat when director Chris Weitz and actress Nikki Reed showed up at the local Wal-Mart to commemorate the release. Weitz took a minute to sit down with MTV News and look back at his year spent with "The Twilight Saga."

"The first question I always get asked is, 'Did you feel a lot of pressure coming in doing the second movie of the franchise,' " said Weitz. "And I actually didn't even think about that until people started asking me."

Weitz has made a point not to claim the series as his own. Even after the popularity of "New Moon," he repeatedly said he would not return to direct the final film(s), "Breaking Dawn." Still, he acknowledged his role in making the series reach an even higher level of popularity.

"I lucked out, man," he admitted. "The first movie was terribly popular and pretty much a chimp could direct the second movie to do well. So I was like, 'I'm on Easy Street. There's a good cast, and I've got some great people working on it, so I'm fine.' "

The directing gauntlet has since been turned over to David Slade ("Hard Candy," "30 Days of Night) for the third installment, "Eclipse," due out June 30. Many directors have been suggested to direct "Breaking Dawn," though Summit Entertainment has yet to confirm anyone for the task. The latest short list includes Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation") and Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls").