'Breaking Dawn' Plot Twist: How the Franchise Finale's Surprise Ending Came to Be (Video)

For the first time in franchise history, Twilight fans might enjoy a pleasant plot surprise.

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Throughout their promotional tours ahead of Breaking Dawn -- Part 2's Nov. 16 release, the cast has made no secret of the film's climactic plot twist that strays from Stephenie Meyer's book. And at the film's Hollywood premiere Monday, eager Twihards shrieked, screamed and ultimately cheered in approval at the film's conclusion.

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So how did Meyer feel about the liberties taken with her story?

"It's something I came up with," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "We knew that they were going to want some action in the end, so we came up with a way to do that which was organic to the book, and I don't have a problem with it. I don't think it actually jumps off the page that far. In a way, it's sort of in the book, we just don't get to see it because we only see Bella's perspective. It all makes sense."

The "we" Meyer is referring to also consists of screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who has worked closely with the author since the first Twilight film.
 
Says Rosenberg, "It was over a steak dinner in Vancouver."

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"[Meyer], at the time, was debating whether or not she wanted the fourth book to be a movie because she was concerned that the ending in the book climaxes at a very tense conversation, which was beautiful in the book -- but for film, that’s not going to fly," she continues. "We started batting around ideas and then we both had this idea at the same. I think she may have mentioned something first, 'OK, this may be stupid, but what about this?' And I was like, 'What about that!' And it was one of those moments; the light bulb came on, and we both suddenly got incredibly excited about it. That was it, we were both on board."

Director Bill Condon, tasked with bringing the concept to life, says the finished product took years to culminate. "It was the big set piece of the movie, and it took months and months and months to pre-vis, months to shoot, and it took a year and a half to cut together and to do all the effects on. So, really, that was the big hurdle of the second [Breaking Dawn] film."

The hurdle will, hopefully, pay off for the Breaking Dawn masterminds, as Condon confessed at Monday's premiere that he was nervous to see the audience's reaction.

"I’ve been waiting so long for this night," he told THR, "to see it with this huge group of people. And, because there is a surprise, to see how this goes over."

Taylor Lautner boldly declares the scene, "One of the biggest shocks I’ve ever seen in a movie before," while Michael Sheen says the film will serve as "a reward for being such loyal fans." To hear more from the actors, watch the video above.

Curious yet?

Email: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci