Edward Cullen: Robert Pattinson vs. Henry Cavill & Shirtless Taylor Lautner vs. Climate Change

Edward Cullen a.k.a. Robert Pattinson ready for his Eclipse close-up.

Edward Cullen Twilight: Robert Pattinson handsome photo

May 4: In the promotional image above, Robert Pattinson is seen as the vampire Edward Cullen in the upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. That’s an unusually good picture of Pattinson as Edward. The make-up isn’t overdone, the hair isn’t overdone, the lipstick isn’t overdone. Edward looks like he could pass for human if humans were supernaturally beautiful. That’s pretty much the way Edward Cullen is described in Stephenie Meyer’s books.

Edward Cullen: Robert Pattinson vs. Henry Cavill

Stephenie Meyer initially wanted Henry Cavill (Charles Brandon in The Tudors) to play Edward Cullen, but by the time Summit Entertainment optioned Twilight in 2007, Cavill was already 24 and thus too old to pass for the 17-year-old-looking vampire.

After Robert Pattinson was cast as Edward, angry Twilight fans wanted “anyone else” but him. Some found Pattinson too ugly (or not good-looking enough) for the role; others found him merely inadequate. Others yet associated him with Harry Potter and nthe Goblet of Fire‘s Cedric Diggory.

“The books have a huge following,” Robert Pattinson told the London Evening Standard around that time, “and I’ve already got bags of letters from angry fans, telling me that I can’t possibly play Edward, because I’m Diggory. I hope I can prove them wrong.” Apparently, he has.

‘Twilight: Eclipse’ cast

Directed by David Slade from a screenplay by Twilight and New Moon screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the U.S. on June 30. Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black are Robert Pattinson a.k.a. Edward Cullen’s fellow players.

The Eclipse supporting cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard (replacing Rachelle Lefevre) as the vampire Victoria, Xavier Samuel as the newborn Riley; Cullen Clan members Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, and Kellan Lutz; plus Dakota Fanning, Daniel Cudmore, Julia Jones, Sarah Clarke, Charlie Bewley, Cameron Bright, Alex Meraz, and Booboo Stewart.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight: Eclipse image: Summit Entertainment.

Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner: Bella Swan and Jacob Black together in Eclipse.

Film Independent has announced that the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will feature the world premiere of David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on June 24, 2010, at the Nokia Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and other cast and crew members are expected to attend the Eclipse premiere.

According to previous reports (including those found on this blog), Eclipse was to have opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Last October, the 7,000-seat Nokia held the debut of the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It.

Now, even though the Los Angeles Film Festival is using Eclipse to promote itself, the screening isn’t actually of the public festival. In fact, Eclipse is described on the LAFF site as a “bonus by invitation screening.” In other words, you can’t buy tickets for it (and don’t expect to get an invitation, either).

But considering that this year’s LAFF will be held in downtown Los Angeles, away from the Los Angeles Westside for the first time in five years, the festival will surely need all the publicity it can get to attract Westside patrons. Eclipse is the ticket for that. (Westwood traffic can be chaos; but it’s nothing compared to downtown LA.)

The 2010 edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival begins on June 17 with the LA premiere of Lisa Cholodenko’s Sundance hit The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as two lesbian moms who (sort of) adopt the biological father (Mark Ruffalo) or their two adolescent children.

The world premiere of Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud’s animated 3D Despicable Me, featuring the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Danny McBride, Julie Andrews, and others, will be the festival’s Closing Night Gala presentation.

Call it the Invasion of the (Wrist)Band-Snatchers.

All those hundreds of people camping outside the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles aren’t out-of-work victims of the ongoing economic Recession.

Instead, they’re Twilight aficionados, waiting for the chance to get one of 9,000 wristbands allowing them into the fan area for the world premiere of David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. The Eclipse premiere will take place on Thursday evening.

Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

The third installment in the Twilight franchise, a Summit Entertainment release, will open in the United States and a number of other countries on June 30.

Twilight-ish areas of the Internet have been abuzz with rumors that Robert Pattinson and Eclipse director David Slade had a serious falling-out while filming “pick-up shots” in Vancouver last week. That Pattinson arrived a day late from London and screwed up the reshoots – or pick-ups – for the film’s meadow scene.

That’s the meadow scene featuring Edward Cullen (Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), in which Edward declares his eternal love for Bella – a sequence that looked flawless (okay, in the brief teaser trailer) and that a Summit representative had previously affirmed would not be reshot.

Also according to those sources, there were intense behind-closed-door meetings, Pattinson furiously storming off, and all that good stuff that makes both online and supermarket tabloids get hits or sell copies because people enjoy reading about other people’s problems so they can feel better about themselves.

On the other hand, elsewhere those rumors have been dismissed as just that: rumors; malicious gossip. According to Summit representatives, Pattinson arrived in Vancouver when he was supposed to and did what he was supposed to have done while in town. The “meadow scene” shot in Vancouver wasn’t the meadow scene with Edward and Bella, but another outdoor sequence featuring Bella and Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

Previous rumors had Summit Entertainment and David Slade hating each other so much – Slade’s editor had been replaced by Twilight editor Nancy Richardson a while back – that the director was being passed over for the pick-up shots. Either Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) or Chris Weitz (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) would be handling the three-day Vancouver shoot. That didn’t happen.

Some have been doing their best to make Eclipse sound like a troubled production. It’s one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the summer. It’s part of one of the most popular literary and cinematic franchises of the early 21st century, starring three of the hottest stars of the moment. Many would love the movie to fail.

So, perhaps some of those rumors are true; quite possibly none of them is. Either way, I’m eagerly looking forward to Eclipse – and the bits I’ve seen in the two trailers look great. As I’ve said again and again, I just hope the powers-that-be at Summit won’t ditch the Edward-Bella love story so as to expand the action scenes. That would be a monumental mistake. Eclipse, after all, is a neo-Gothic love story with some action and suspense, not an action-suspense thriller with a bit of romance thrown in.

Now, sometimes I wonder if Summit – or David Slade, or Robert Pattinson, or Kristen Stewart, or Taylor Lautner, or author/Breaking Dawn co-producer Stephenie Meyer, or all of them as an ensemble – should come out in the open to talk about what was actually done in Vancouver. Explain to people that sixteen-hour shoots are hardly uncommon – much to the contrary; when movies are being shot, everyone usually has to put in long hours. Tell people what those pick-up shots actually involved. And perhaps add a picture of Pattinson and Slade buddying it up at a London pub somewhere.

Else, the malicious rumor mills will churn more dirt, however groundless. That surely wouldn’t be good for Eclipse. (Not that the pub pic would be absolutely necessary, but Pattinson photos are always welcome.) That I know of, the most that has been done in terms of “damage control” – or perhaps “rumor dispelling” would be a better way of putting it – are a couple of David Slade tweets:

So strange, I go away for three weeks and return to all these upsetting completely fabricated rumours. Who makes this stuff up as news.

REAL NEWS: last 3 weeks have gone fantastic, pick up shoot felt more like a reunion. Rob, Kristen,Taylor the crew & I gave 110 percent. Onwards!

On his Twitter page, Slade has also added a tirade in which he talks about the future, making snide remarks about bloggers (without naming any names). An unintelligent generalization, but I guess Slade must have been furious because of all the rumors. I’ll post his full rant shortly. It’s worth reading, even if much of it is incoherent. And ironic as well, as he dismisses bloggers after telling us to believe his “REAL NEWS” on Twitter of all places. See below.

Further below is David Slade’s Twitter rant posted yesterday. Those loosely connected tweets are clearly a response to negative The Twilight Saga: Eclipse rumors that can be found on the Web.

Said rumors insist that Eclipse, a Summit Entertainment production starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, is in trouble.

Reshoots – or “pick-ups” – were done just last week in Vancouver, though Eclipse is scheduled to have its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 24 and its general release on June 30.

As I’ve explained in a further above, some of those rumors have proven to be wildly inaccurate in the past. The current rumors have been denied as well by Summit representatives and by Slade himself.

Here are the initial Slade tweets (dated May 2), directly addressing the negative rumors:

So strange, I go away for three weeks and return to all these upsetting completely fabricated rumours. Who makes this stuff up as news.

REAL NEWS: last 3 weeks have gone fantastic, pick up shoot felt more like a reunion. Rob, Kristen,Taylor the crew & I gave 110 percent. Onwards!

So, further below are Slade’s follow-ups tweets, in which the filmmaker discusses the future, denigrates bloggers, gives the impression that non-blogging online (or print?) publications actually carry “real news” (Twitter too?), worries about contagious iPads, and mentions Einstein’s much (mis)quoted statement about human beings using only 10 percent of their brain.

The Cullen Family in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli

My favorite Slade tweet is the ominous: IN THE FUTURE – all by itself.

In other words, Slade wanted you to use your imagination. What will THE FUTURE be like? Of course, it could also be that he pressed the send button before he was done tweeting, but I prefer the option that he wanted us to stop and ponder.

Now, Slade doesn’t say if IN THE FUTURE there’ll be tweeters tweeting. Will the “online ai [artificial intelligence?] grading” also get rid of tweeters such as Slade himself – or Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey, and Conan O’Brien? Now, that got me thinking about THE FUTURE.

And was that GPS remark a shot at James Cameron’s insistence that Avatar‘s Na’vi performance capture was real acting, as opposed to ai-ungraded, cgi blogger-quality acting?

Slade’s quotes can be found below. They’re great. David Lynch could make a movie out of them:

If you only use 10%* of your brain, then what percent of your iPad will you use?

the 10 percent of your brain Albert Einstein quote is a complete myth. But it does makes for great rhetoric.

In the future, touch screen devices will lead to the dystopia of science fiction when virulent diseases are spread by disease laden iPads.

IN THE FUTURE artificial intelligence google apps will tell us whether we are indeed reading real news or just a blog.

IN THE FUTURE ai apps will be grade online journalism for its accuracy, poignancy, grammar and quality of writing.

IN THE FUTURE online ai grading will lead to the demise of blogging and the new rise of quality journalism.

IN THE FUTURE actors will have tiny GPS trackers positioned all over their skin so they can act in performance capture anywhere they want.

IN THE FUTURE there will be no need for actors.

IN THE FUTURE there will be no need for directors.

IN THE FUTURE there will be no need for you or me. But we will still be here.

IN THE FUTURE painting will still be a dead medium, and people will still paint.

IN THE FUTURE our children will be born more intelligent than we could ever be.

IN THE FUTURE

IN THE FUTURE everyone will be happy all of the time.

IN THE FUTURE everyone will lie to each other each and every minute of the day, and everyone will know.

IN THE FUTURE there will be no context for anything, and nothing will be in context.

IN THE FUTURE there will be no shades of grey, just facts.

IN THE FUTURE no one will know anything, and everything will be subjective and all facts will be true, in every sense.

IN THE FUTURE, the future will be out of fashion.

IN THE FUTURE the future will be in fashion, but just for 15 minutes.

I give you THE FUTURE, and goodnight. DS

Directed by Slade from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States on June 30.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, and Academy Award nominees Anna Kendrick (for Up in the Air earlier this year) and Catalina Sandino Moreno (for Maria Full of Grace, 2004).

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) playfully embrace in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are done with the “pickup” shots for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which David Slade directed in Vancouver last week. Taylor Lautner, who plays the werewolf Jacob Black, also had to travel to Canada for those.

In addition to Pattinson, Stewart, and Lautner, the Eclipse cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard (click on the link to see Howard trying to unscrew Pattinson’s neck), Xavier Samuel (click on the link to see Samuel leading the mean-looking Newborn Vampire Army), Kellan Lutz (click on the link to see Lutz in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010), Peter Facinelli (click on the link to see Facinelli, donning a blond wig or dyed blond hair or both, as Dr. Carlisle Cullen, standing in the Forks woods with his worried-looking vampire family), and Dakota Fanning, who plays a creepy-eyed vampire in the film. Fanning also introduced the final trailer on Oprah Wrinfrey’s show a couple of weeks ago.

Also to be found in Eclipse are Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, and Academy Award nominees Anna Kendrick (for Up in the Air earlier this year) and Catalina Sandino Moreno (for Maria Full of Grace, 2004).

Melissa Rosenberg has been the screen adapter of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book series. Some fans haven’t been too happy with her work, complaining that key elements found in Meyer’s book – especially those involving the Edward-Bella romance – have been missing from the movies.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States on June 30. The world premiere will be held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on June 24. Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and others involved in the making of the film are expected to be there.

In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Dakota Fanning, one of the stars of War of the Worlds, Hounddog, and The Runaways, plays Jane, a member of the creepy Volturi clan, an ancient vampire family akin to royalty among the blood-thirsty undead. Jane and her companions are out to get Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who have been misbehaving.

If you saw those four coming your way, you’d run for your life. Or perhaps you’d just drop dead. Personally, I’d tell them to move aside so I could admire the beautifully moody surroundings found in this screen grab.

The more I see of Eclipse, the more I hope that Javier Aguirresarobe will get an Academy Award nomination and an American Society of Cinematographers nod for his work on the film.

Back to Fanning/Jane: The creepy girl with the burgundy/reddish eyes is there to remind Edward and Bella that the Volturi are neither very tolerant nor very patient. No second chances for the star-crossed couple. As if they needed more trouble.

Directed by David Slade from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the US on June 30.

May 1

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in ‘Eclipse’ climax: Edward vs. Victoria.

‘Eclipse’ climax image: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard

In the image above from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, enamored vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) attempts to shield the equally enamored human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) from the vindictive vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), hanging precariously on top of a tree. Said tree will not be standing for long.

This screen grab from Eclipse is one of the many screen grabs that have been circulating on the Internet. As mentioned before in previous posts, Summit Entertainment is clearly doing its best to ensure that moviegoers realize that Eclipse offers lots of action.

For the film’s sake, here’s hoping it’ll have as much emotional depth as suspense and thrills. Else, Summit will end up alienating fans of the Stephenie Meyer novels. These fans, after all, form the core of the Twilight Saga‘s moviegoing public. The studio has to strike a fine balance between attempting to reach the widest possible audience while maintaining Eclipse faithful to the book’s spirit.

Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe

Much like the meadow setting featuring Bella and Edward making love, this snow scene looks quite beautiful. Javier Aguirresarobe – whose credits include Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others, Pedro Almodóvar’s Talk to Her, and Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona – is truly a master of his craft. (I’m assuming that Aguirresarobe, not some second-unit cinematographer, shot both scenes.)

Adapted to the screen by Twilight and New Moon scribe Melissa Rosenberg, Eclipse opens in North America on June 30, ’10. The world premiere will be held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on June 24. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and others involved in the making of Eclipse are expected to attend the event.

Besides Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and Bryce Dallas Howard (replacing Rachelle Lefevre), the Eclipse cast includes:

Xavier Samuel. Dakota Fanning. Billy Burke. Ashley Greene. Jackson Rathbone. Nikki Reed. Kellan Lutz. Elizabeth Reaser. Peter Facinelli.

Best Actress Academy Award nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, 2004). Best Supporting Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 2009). Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nominee Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves, 1990).

Bill Condon to direct ‘Breaking Dawn’

Oscar winner Bill Condon – whose credits include Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, Dreamgirls, the 2002 Chicago screenplay – has been announced as the director of the next installment of the Twilight Saga franchise: Breaking Dawn. Melissa Rosenberg is penning the screenplay adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel, the last (to date; possibly ever) in the series.

Breaking Dawn should start filming in the fall.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Eclipse image: Summit Entertainment.

May 3

Robert Pattinson against Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuel: Eclipse deadly brawl.

In David Slade’s Eclipse, Robert Pattinson rises to the occasion at the film’s climax by biting off the head of the vengeful Bryce Dallas Howard; with equal dexterity, Edward had previously beaten off the head of mean-spirited vampire Cam Gigandet in Catherine Hardwicke’s original Twilight. Expect more of same in the Breaking Dawn movies.

Off with his head: Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel in ‘Eclipse’

The kind-hearted, vegetarian vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is up to his neck – quite literally – while engaging in a fight to the death with the newborn vampire Riley (Xavier Samuel) and the vindictive vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) in the third installment of the The Twilight Saga franchise, Eclipse.

Now, is that just a publicity shot or an actual scene from the film? Will Riley and Victoria try to break Edward’s arm or his neck? Both?

Either way, Robert Pattinson is wearing way too much white powder on his face.

Mascara-plastered Mortal combat

Perhaps that’s the actual reason Edward looks so distraught in this shot. In other words, he is not afraid of having his vampire head torn from his body; instead, he’s terrified the white powder around his nostrils will get into his lungs. But then again, Twilight vampires don’t breathe and newborn vampires are super strong… so maybe Edward is worried about that mind-reading head of his.

Anyhow, here’s hoping that on screen Robert Pattinson’s/Edward’s face will look more naturalistic than in some of the images that have been released and/or screen-grabbed online. Come to think of it, Pattinson looks fine in the trailers. So, we’ll have to wait and see.

Mind reader

Now, back to Edward being nabbed by Riley and Victoria: Some Twilight Saga fans have complained that this isn’t quite the way things happen in Eclipse. Part of the reason is that Edward can read minds – well, except for Bella’s – and as result he can tell when and where his enemies will strike.

Once again, we’ll have to wait and see who will be grabbing whose neck.

See also: “Twilight Meadow Madness, Muse Music.”

Robert Pattinson, Xavier Samuel, and Bryce Dallas Howard Eclipse image: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.

Taylor Lautner shirtless again, in a screen grab from David Slade’s upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Looking at where he’s standing, I’d say Jacob Black, werewolf or no, should be wearing not only a shirt but a very thick jacket, too. Or at least Taylor Lautner, the actor, should. He must have been freezing.

Jacob, of course, doesn’t look too happy in the shot. It could be that Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan has just told him that she’s gotten engaged to Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen. In the final Eclipse trailer, the shirtless Jacob bit appears a few moments after we get to see a (very quick) close-up of Bella’s engagement ring, which has caused a sensation online.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens on June 30. The world premiere will be held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on June 24. Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and others involved in the making of Eclipse are expected to be present.

Oscar winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, Dreamgirls) has been announced as the director of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Melissa Rosenberg is writing the screenplay adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel. Breaking Dawn should start filming in the fall.

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson: Bella and Edward’s (near) kiss in Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight

Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan kiss in Twilight was included in the Los Angeles Times magazine’s top 50 movie kisses ever. Okay, so a) they were placed at No. 49 (well, the list is chronological) b) it’s old news (Feb ’10) to everyone but me and perhaps a handful of secluded aborigines in Papua New Guinea.

But I love the photo and decided to mention the (old) news here. Above is that crucial moment before Edward’s and Bella’s lips actually meet. Those precious pre-smooching seconds can be even more arousing – emotionally, I mean – than the actual kissing. At least that’s my opinion.

In case you’re wondering: the Times magazine list begins with the 1896 short film The Kiss and ends with the Carey Mulligan-Peter Sarsgaard kiss in An Education. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of kisses are from Hollywood productions, but there are a handful of international kisses as well.

Among the other iconic kisses on the list are those found in Son of the Sheik (Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky), Gone with the Wind (Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh), Notorious (Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman), Duel in the Sun (Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck), and From Here to Eternity (Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster).

Also, Lady and the Tramp (the two doggies and the spaghetti), Planet of the Apes (Charlton Heston and Kim Hunter under simian make-up), Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Peter Finch and Murray Head), Titanic (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet), and Brokeback Mountain (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal).

May 3

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart share an intimate moment in ‘Eclipse.’

Bill Condon writes letter to ‘Twilight’ movies’ fans

Oscar-winning director-screenwriter Bill Condon, whose next project is going to be The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, has placed a greetings message on the Twilight Saga Facebook page, addressing the various Twi-factions. Twilight Dads, however, must be heartbroken, as they were wholly ignored. The same goes for Team Bella, Team Volturi, and Team Victoria.

In his missive, Bill Condon invites visitors to post questions and suggestions about his approach to Breaking Dawn, which should begin shooting in the fall. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner will be reprising their roles as, respectively, the vampire Edward Cullen, the transmogrifying Bella Swan, and the werewolf Jacob Black.

Condon, best known for penning the Best Picture Oscar winner Chicago (directed by Rob Marshall) and for writing and directing Beyoncé Knowles in Dreamgirls, says that “no, there won’t be any musical numbers.” (Condon’s Oscar was for the adapted screenplay of Gods and Monsters; he also directed this 1998 non-musical about Hollywood filmmaker James Whale.)

In sum, Breaking Dawn won’t be a Bollywood-style drama. (Speaking of Bollywood, Kristen Stewart will not be starring in the Indian movie Paani. Her representatives dismissed that rumor a couple of days ago.)

Bill Condon ‘stoked’

Dated April 30, ’10, Bill Condon’s letter to Twilight fans has been reproduced below (via the Twilight Saga Facebook page):

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 Chriss’ [sic] 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

‘Eclipse,’ ‘Dark Shadows’

The next installment in the Twilight Saga franchise, Eclipse, opens in the United States on June 30. David Slade directed from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg.

As an aside, Bill Condon fave Dark Shadows was a 1960s television series featuring several vampires. It starred Jonathan Frid, Nancy Barrett, Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Grayson Hall (The Night of the Iguana, 1964), and veteran Joan Bennett (Scarlet Street, The Woman on the Beach), among others.

Bill Condon’s Breaking Dawn should be coming out in late 2011.

Image of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart making out in Eclipse: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.

Kristen Stewart: Seductive & dangerous Bella Swan

May 6 update: Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan looks mysteriously gorgeous in this promotional image for the upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. In fact, in the above photo Kristen Stewart’s Bella looks just as enigmatic as Robert Pattinson’s vampire Edward Cullen. I’d say she looks even more dangerous than Pattinson in his promotional shots released online.

At this point there are conflicting theories and hypotheses about where exactly the Eclipse premiere will take place. Somewhere in Los Angeles, it seems. Unless someone at Summit changes her or his mind.

To the best of my knowledge, Eclipse, directed by David Slade from Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay (adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s bestseller), will indeed open in the United States on June 30. The following installment in the Twilight Saga series, Breaking Dawn, to be directed by Bill Condon, is scheduled to open next year, on Nov. 18.

In addition to Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the Eclipse cast includes Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, and Jackson Rathbone.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) get all sensual in this scene from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Bella’s and Edward’s intentions are clear in the photo (if you don’t believe me, click on the image to enlarge it), regardless of whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) afterwards.

Less clear is the story behind the Eclipse world premiere. Initially it was reported (including by myself) that the star-studded premiere would take place on June 24 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce had agreed to have streets closed, security, red carpets, and whatever else is required for major world premieres.

Then the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) announced that Eclipse would be screened “by invitation” on June 24 at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. In other words, that is where the world premiere would take place. Or so everyone thought. (Well, that’s what it says on the LAFF program.)

Then comes an announcement by way of KalebNation.com, reportedly from Summit Entertainment, that the LAFF screening will not be the site of the official Eclipse premiere. That location remains a mystery as of yet.

But one thing is for certain. I think.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States on June 30.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Billy Burke, Michael Welch, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Jodelle Ferland, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Edward and Bella’s meadow scene

David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, starring Robert Pattinson as the vampire Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as the all-too-human Bella Swan, Taylor Lautner as the werewolf Jacob Black, plus various vampires and werewolves, had its preview screening during a taping of Oprah Winfrey’s television show featuring the three aforementioned stars plus Dakota Fanning.

As to be expected, some audience members right away began tweeting about their impressions of the film. The buzz coming from those Twilight fans has been quite positive – few should be surprised by that bit of news – with some placing Eclipse ahead of both Catharine Hardwicke’s Twilight (2008) and Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009).

Also, according to some reports Oprah began nosily asking Pattinson and Stewart questions about their off-screen relationship (if any). Neither one wanted to tell Oprah “Yes” or “No” – or “It’s none of your business.” Especially not the third option. After all, she’s Oprah. She can crown kings, make volcanoes stop spewing ash, and lure my mother-in-law into buying a pair of pants that don’t fit just because she saw them on Winfrey’s show. Well, Pattinson, witty as always, joked that Kristen Stewart was pregnant. Stewart’s response: “If I’m pregnant, then Rob’s going to have the baby.”

Oprah must have been licking her lips wishing that were true, so she could have the surrogate father and his baby on some future show. Now, watch Pattinson’s joke become “news” on some online and/or supermarket tabloid or other. Or on Twitter and Facebook. In fact, the mad buzz has already begun.

The Oprah show featuring Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and Fanning will be aired on May 13. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be released in the United States on June 30.

Eclipse‘s “official” world premiere will apparently be held in Hollywood on June 24, while an “unofficial” screening will take place that same evening at the Los Angeles Film Festival in downtown LA.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Jackson Rathbone, and Peter Facinelli.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse picture: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.

Eclipse‘s The Cullen Men – Kellan Lutz as Emmett, Peter Facinelli as Dr. Carlisle, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper, Robert Pattinson as Edward – are discussing something mighty serious in the above photo. Perhaps Victoria’s imminent attack? Because he’s standing a little away from the others, Pattinson’s Edward is the first one to catch our eye (even though he looks a tad blurry – click on the photo to enlarge it).

Peter Facinelli is the second one to have caught my eye in the photo (in any Twilight photo), chiefly because I find his make-up really overdone. Wouldn’t someone in Forks and elsewhere have noticed that there’s something a little odd about the way the venerable Dr. Carlisle looks?

In the Los Angeles Times, Yvonne Villarreal talked with Lutz, Facinelli, and Rathbone, in addition to fellow Cullen family members Elizabeth Reaser (matriarch Esme Cullen), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), and Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale).

Here are a couple of snippets from the Times piece:

From Elizabeth Reaser: “Esme is still a vampire. She still wants to kill people all day long. It was interesting to get in touch with the vampire side of her in ways that haven’t really been explored. Her family is in danger, and that brings out the mama bear in her.”

Kellan Lutz calls the Eclipse stunts “cool,” while Ashley Greene says that “Alice gets a little edgier with each installment…It’s a reminder to the audience that even though we restrain ourselves at times, we’re still vampires and we’re dangerous.”

Also in the Eclipse cast: Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard (as Victoria), Xavier Samuel, and Dakota Fanning.

Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be released in the United States on June 30.

May 7

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in ‘Eclipse’: Most anticipated summer movie couple.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson: Most anticipated summer movie couple

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson – as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse lovebirds Bella Swan and Edward Cullen – are the most anticipated 2010 summer movie couple according to a recently released Fandango poll. Stewart and Pattinson nabbed more than one in four votes. I’m sure no one is surprised, though Team Jacob members may be disappointed.

Stewart and Pattinson were followed by Sarah Jessica Parker and John Corbett for Sex and the City 2 and, more surprisingly, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow for Iron Man 2.

I say “more surprisingly” because I’d think people eager to watch something like Iron Man 2 are after special effects and explosions – or perhaps Tony Stark’s relationship with his iron suit – but definitely not human affairs of the heart.

And getting a little technical here, Iron Man 2 is actually a spring release…

Top 10 most anticipated summer movie couples

Anyways, below are the top 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movie Couples:

1. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Eclipse: 28 percent.
2. Sarah Jessica Parker and John Corbett, Sex and the City 2: 17 percent.
3. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow Iron Man 2: 14 percent.
4. Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem, Eat Pray Love: 8 percent.
5. Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, Killers: 8 percent.
6. Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe, Robin Hood: 6 percent.
7. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Knight and Day: 5 percent.
8. Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: 4 percent.
9. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, Going the Distance: 2 percent.
10. Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer, Beastly: 2 percent.

‘Eclipse’ Oprah pre-screening a hit among twi-fans

In other Eclipse news, a pre-screening on Oprah Winfrey’s show, which also boasted the presence of Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Dakota Fanning, was a hit with Twilight fans as attested by their tweets. (Were there any Summit Entertainment p.r. people tweeting as well?)

And Kristen Stewart herself said that she’ll be featured in Walter Salles’ film adaptation (from a screenplay by José Rivera) of Jack Kerouac’s seminal roman à clef On the Road.

‘Eclipse’ Muse

Also, a Muse song will be a part of the Eclipse soundtrack. Via Stephenie Meyer’s official website:

“The first single on ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ has just been confirmed and I get to bring you the exclusive details. Stephenie’s very favorite band, Muse, has contributed a song called ‘Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever)’ and it’s the first single from the project. It will be out on May 17th. I haven’t heard it yet, but I am very excited. The official soundtrack will also be available on June 8th.” Seth Meyer.

‘Eclipse’ cast

Besides Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse also features:

Taylor Lautner. Bryce Dallas Howard. Xavier Samuel. Dakota Fanning. Peter Facinelli. Kellan Lutz.

Elizabeth Reaser. Ashley Greene. Jackson Rathbone. Nikki Reed. Billy Burke. Daniel Cudmore.

Sarah Clarke. Booboo Stewart. Michael Welch. Cameron Bright. Christian Serratos. Kirsten Prout.

Kiowa Gordon. Justin Chon. Tinsel Korey. Tyson Houseman. Leah Gibson. Julia Jones. Alex Meraz.

Paul Jarrett. Iris Quinn. Gil Birmingham. Justin Rain. Cainan Wiebe. Ben Geldreich. Alex Rice.

Bronson Pelletier. Jodelle Ferland. Charlie Bewley. Jack Huston. Chaske Spencer.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 2009).

Best Actress Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace, 2004).

Melissa Rosenberg penned the Eclipse screenplay. The film opens in North America and several other territories on June 30, ’10.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as the most anticipated summer movie couple via EW.com.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Eclipse image: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.

May 8

Bel Ami: Uma Thurman seduced by Robert Pattinson

In this Bel Ami picture, Robert Pattinson’s Georges Duroy seduces Uma Thurman’s Madeleine Forestier. Like fellow The Twilight Saga player Kristen Stewart, Pattinson has up to now taken the indie route when not incarnating the lovestruck vampire Edward Cullen opposite Stewart’s Bella Swan.

Before bringing to life Guy de Maupassant’s ambitious, amoral Bel Ami antihero, the ex-soldier Georges Duroy, Robert Pattinson played Salvador Dali in Paul Morrison’s Little Ashes (though admittedly, that was before Twilight). More recently, Pattinson was the rebellious New Yorker Tyler Hawkins in Allen Coulter’s Remember Me, which has done surprisingly well at the international box office, obviously as a result of Pattinson’s Twilight popularity.

Next for Robert Pattinson is Water for Elephants, a 20th Century Fox release in which he’ll be surrounded by Oscar winners and nominees, among them fellow players Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), and Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild, which coincidentally also features Kristen Stewart).

Directed by London stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, and written by Rachel Bennette, in addition to Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman, Bel Ami also features Christina Ricci, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colm Meaney, and Holliday Grainger.

Robert Pattinson’s Georges Duroy looks mighty thoughtful – and very handsome – in this photo from Bel Ami. () Is Duroy thinking about who he will be seducing next?

As I mentioned in my previous Bel Ami post, Pattinson, much like fellow Twilight Saga player Kristen Stewart, has thus far taken the indie route when not playing the devoted vampire Edward Cullen. As Guy de Maupassant’s ambitious social climber, Pattinson will have the chance to be cunning, sensual, and hopefully both funny and dramatic as well.

Directed by award-winning British stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, Bel Ami also features Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, Holly Grainger, and Academy Award nominees Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Next for Pattinson is Water for Elephants, in which he’ll be surrounded by Oscar winners and nominees, among them fellow players Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, and Hal Holbrook.

And Breaking Dawn, to be directed by Oscar winner Bill Condon and pairing him up once again with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, directed by David Slade, opens on June 30.

Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner: Bella and Jacob on the beach in Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Kristen Stewart, best known for her Bella Swan opposite Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga movies, has been cast as Marylou in the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s iconic Beat Generation novel On the Road.

Described in Kerouac’s book as a “beautiful little sharp chick,” Marylou is based on Neal Cassady’s first wife, LuAnne Henderson. Garrett Hedlund (of the upcoming sci-fier Tron Legacy), has been scheduled to play Dean Moriarty, the character based on the rebellious Cassady.

Sam Riley, who won numerous acting awards in Britain for his role as Joy Division’s Ian Curtis in Control, will reportedly play the On the Road lead, Sal Paradise, a novelized version of Kerouac himself.

Walter Salles, whose Brazilian drama Central Station (1998) was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, has been set to direct On the Road from a screenplay by Jose Rivera. Salles and Rivera had already partnered on another road movie, The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), which starred Gael Garcia Bernal as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, the future radical left-wing revolutionary Che Guevara.

Obviously, Stewart – like fellow Twilight Saga player Robert Pattinson – continues to aim for less commercial, indie fare, e.g., Adventureland, The Runaways, both of which earned the actress positive notices from critics. That’s to be respected. The 20-year-old performer could easily have taken Jennifer Aniston’s professional path.

Rumored roles in Wanted 2 and the Hollywood version of the Swedish blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are the two exceptions to that rule, though the latter would also be a prestigious production as it’s based on a well-received bestseller and is to be directed by Academy Award nominee David Fincher. Stewart’s name has been linked to both film projects, but there’s no guarantee she’ll star in either one. (An Education‘s Carey Mulligan was announced – and then unannounced – as the lead in the latter film.)

On the Road should start shooting on August 1 in New Orleans and Montreal, smack between the release of Stewart’s eagerly anticipated The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and filming of Bill Condon’s Breaking Dawn, the last installment in the Twilight Saga franchise, in mid-fall.

On the Road is scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2011.

May 19

Robert Pattinson, sporting a semi-crewcut, on a preview for Ellen DeGeneres’ May 19 show. This time around, Pattinson is promoting David Slade’s upcoming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, co-starring Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

To call Pattinson’s sense of humor “quirky” might be an understatement. So, I’m not sure how many will enjoy his joke about an infestation of gnats on his hair. But then again, it’s his hair, so I guess he’s allowed to joke as he pleases.

Also of interest, Pattinson is in Los Angeles shooting Water for Elephants – that explains the shorter hairdo; the story is set in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. His co-stars are Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. Hal Holbrook is also in the cast. Francis Lawrence is the director.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Daniel Cudmore, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Robert Pattinson on Ellen DeGeneres’ television show on Nov. 20, 2009 can be seen below (in two parts). Though old, this is actually very funny and well worth watching, especially the Oprah Mask bit. Pattinson is his usual affable self, describing the success of the Twilight movies and some bizarre fan stories. This taping was done at the time The Twilight Saga: New Moon, directed by Chris Weitz and co-starring Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, came out.

For The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Pattinson will be back chatting with DeGeneres on May 19.

“We live in this Twilight Zone bubble,” Kellan Lutz, Robert Pattinson’s big brother in the Twilight Saga movies, told Ellen DeGeneres also around the time The Twilight Saga: New Moon came out. Lutz then talked about (an apparently gay?) fan at an all-male spa, dogs, and the Humane Society, before doing a Jack Palance stunt onstage: push-ups. All for the sake of charity.

Lutz and fellow Twilight Saga player Ashley Greene have been demanding more money from Summit Entertainment in case The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is turned into two movies. If either party doesn’t give in, both Lutz and Greene may end up being replaced.

Also: In May 2010, Robert Pattinson, who’ll next be seen in David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, discussed his new haircut (makes a joke about “nits” – that’s gnats – infestation) and the reason for it on Ellen DeGeneres’ television show.

Pattinson is sporting a new haircut because of his new role in Water for Elephants, in which he plays a former vet student who joins the circus during the Great Depression. Pattinson’s co-stars are Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. Academy Award nominee Hal Holbrook will play the older Pattinson in the movie. Francis Lawrence directs. Richard LaGravenese penned the screenplay from Sara Gruen’s novel.

Ellen DeGeneres also hosted The Twilight Saga‘s Nikki Reed the day before. A clip featuring Reed (as vampire Rosalie Hale) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was shown.

Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Daniel Cudmore, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which reteams Pattinson, Stewart, and Lautner, opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Daniel Cudmore, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

https://youtu.be/oZ87lunWMtc

Jacob (Taylor Lautner) brings Bella (Kristen Stewart) to his home in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse in this brief clip shown on Access Hollywood. Edward (Robert Pattinson) isn’t around because he’s not allowed on Quileute soil. None of the Cullens are. In fact, no vampires are, though Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) keeps breaking the rules so she can finally nab Bella.

The sequence above, which is followed by an interview with Taylor Lautner, is centered on Lautner, Kristen Stewart, and some of the actors who play the local werewolves – Kiowa Gordon, Alex Meraz, Tyson Houseman, Bronson Pelletier, and Chaske Spencer. There’s some humor in it, but perhaps not exactly in the manner it was intended.

My favorite element in the scene is Julia Jones’ brief but impressive appearance as Leah Clearwater, who has to deal with some tough issues that never get quite resolved in Stephenie Meyer’s novels.

“If you’re here to torture Jacob some more, feel free to leave,” Leah says to Bella before feeling free to leave the scene. Well, I wish Leah had stayed around longer to torture Bella some more.

And I really hope they’ll beef up Jones’ role in Breaking Dawn, where Leah has some good moments – though some of them take place in the background. Hopefully, in the movie version they’ll be brought to the foreground of the action.

As mentioned above, the brief Eclipse clip is followed by an interview with Taylor Lautner, who explains who the werewolves are, their ranking, etc.

Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. The world premiere will take place in Los Angeles on June 24. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Billy Burke, Daniel Cudmore, Michael Welch, Booboo Stewart, Anna Kendrick, and Jodelle Ferland.

Jacob Black and Bella Swan: Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart in David Slade’s Eclipse

In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Taylor Lautner plays the motorcycle-riding werewolf Jacob Black, whose body temperature is hot enough to make icebergs melt. If that weren’t enough, he wears the tightest T-shirts on the market. (Click on the photo to enlarge it; you’ll then be able to better see the contours of Lautner’s physique.)

No wonder the human heart of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has turned to putty, though not exactly because of Jacob’s body heat. Jacob was there for Bella when Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), her gentle vampire lover, left her behind in the small town of Forks, Washington.

Edward wasn’t being selfish or mean-spirited: he just thought that by leaving Bella alone she would forget him and resume her human life as if he’d never existed. A little naiveté on Edward’s part, perhaps?

Taylor Lautner is a pleasant, good-looking actor, but I’m hoping to see much more Bella and Edward in Eclipse than Bella and Jacob.

Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. The world premiere will be held in Los Angeles on June 24. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson can be seen up close in this good-looking The Twilight Saga: Eclipse new poster. Personally, I think this looks better than the previous one.

In the story, Bella Swan (Stewart) has trouble choosing her vampire lover (Pattinson) over her werewolf friend/romantic interest (Lautner). Her indecision may lead to a war between werewolves and vampires. Making matters worse, there’s a vicious vampire (Bryce Dallas Howard) out there out to get Bella. To top it all off, an army of newborn vampires is wreaking havoc in Seattle and may come out to get Bella in the small town of Forks.

And then there are the Volturi, unscrupulous vampire royalty who may want to pay Bella a visit to make sure she has been turned into a vampire.

Directed by David Slade, Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. The world premiere will be held in Los Angeles on June 24. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Daniel Cudmore, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in a screen grab from David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. I’m not sure what moment this is. Edward is talking to Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), and whatever it is he’s telling her, he doesn’t look very happy. (Pattinson’s excessive white make-up makes his character look even more distraught.)

Bella and Edward could be discussing Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), always a touchy subject; the vindictive vampire Victoria’s desire to annihilate Bella; an army of newborn vampires wreaking havoc in Seattle; the Volturi, vampire royalty that wants to see Bella either vampirized or very dead; or their incompatible future together as an interspecies couple.

To say that Edward and Bella are star-crossed lovers would be quite an understatement.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard (as Victoria), Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel (as one of the powerful but inexperienced newborn vampires), Dakota Fanning (as one of the Volturi), Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens on June 30 in the United States and several other countries.

One of the reasons Eclipse is one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the summer is that it features Pattinson-Stewart-Lautner in a love triangle that involves kissing, selfishness, self-sacrifice, and sleeping together in a freezing tent.

Another reason is the war pitting the werewolves and the Cullen family against the newborn vampire army (click on the image above to enlarge it; Peter Facinelli can be seen going after a newborn). The army question is the work of the evil vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has created and unleashed the hungry newborns in Seattle. Victoria’s final objective is the destruction of Kristen Stewart’s trouble-magnet Bella Swan, a resident of the small town of Forks.

You know Bella will survive, as Breaking Dawn should start filming in the fall. Directed by Bill Condon, it’ll bring back Stewart’s Bella (causing more trouble), Pattinson’s Edward, and Lautner’s Jacob.

In Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel, the werewolf-vampire war takes place in the background – there’s no actual description of the carnage. That’s clearly not the case in the movie version.

Bella and Edward together: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

May 20 update: Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) would like to become a vampire as soon as possible in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), himself a vampire, isn’t sure that’s such a good idea. But before she’s turned into a vampire, Bella would like to experience sex/physical intimacy with Edward, who’ll only consent to it if Bella marries him.

Part of the reason is that Edward would like Bella to postpone her “transformation” as long as possible. But Edward, though he looks 17 (or is supposed to look 17; Pattinson looks older than that), is actually a 109-year-old man (if we use 2010 as the story’s time period) who believes in a few social traditions such as marriage.

Bella, who has just turned 18 and comes from a dysfunctional family, doesn’t like the idea of marriage at all. But if that’s what it’ll take to turn her into a vampire…

Directed by David Slade, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and several other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novel.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Daniel Cudmore, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen confronts Taylor Lautner’s Jacob Black while Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan tries to keep them apart. This is a variation of their confrontation scene found in Stephenie Meyer’s novel, after Jacob (at least in the book) forces himself (a kiss) on Bella.

Bella punches him, but she’s just a girl and he’s a big bad werewolf (6’5” in the book) so she breaks her wrist. In part, that’s what sets Edward off. No one is allowed to hurt Bella, though she’s usually asking for trouble. (In all fairness, she gets in trouble even when not asking for it.)

Looking at the scene out of context, it’s hard to tell how effective it is. Well, except for a couple of things: the look matches cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe’s appropriate blueish hues previously seen in the Volturi sequence with Dakota Fanning and Daniel Cudmore; and I love the editing bit that has Edward approaching Jacob and Bella in the car, and in a split second he’s right on Jacob’s face. (Vampires can do that sort of thing.)

Overall, the acting is so-so – a little too melodramatic, as David Slade’s camera keeps on circling the characters. Pattinson comes out on top, mostly in control as he forcefully delivers his lines. Kristen Stewart, however, has the toughest time playing the impossibly written Bella of Eclipse, who wants to have both the vampire and the werewolf while fully aware that her actions may cause both personal and tribal warfare. Billy Burke plays Bella’s cop father.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens in the United States and about a dozen other countries on June 30. Melissa Rosenberg adapted Meyer’s bestseller.

Also in the Eclipse cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Kellan Lutz, Xavier Samuel, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kirsten Prout, Daniel Cudmore, Jodelle Ferland, Michael Welch, Cameron Bright, Anna Kendrick, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Via RobPattzNews, which also has screencaps of the confrontation scene.

Robert Pattinson’s rebellious Tyler Hawkins in Allen Coulter’s family/romantic drama Remember Me was frequently compared – often not too kindly – to James Dean, the star of Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant.

Pattinson has previously mentioned his admiration for Dean, who died at age 24 in a car crash in 1955, and does so again in this interview published a couple of weeks ago in the Greek magazine Homme.

Below are a couple of snippets from the interview. The full text (translated from the original Greek) can be found at robpattinson.blogspot.com. (Pattinson’s first answer here reminded me of his appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ television show on Wednesday, when he said he can’t think “in real time.”)

Q Do you like being interviewed?

A During interviews I’m extremely nervous. I don’t want to stay silent, because otherwise I would burst into tears owing to my nervousness. I just say the first thing that comes to mind. Of course the only way to protect your private life is to keep your mouth shut and not to talk about it with anyone. But, unfortunately, I have to talk. It’s in the contract.

Q If you had an actor to look up to, who would he be?

A Actors don’t seem to mention him that much, but I admit looking up to James Dean.

Pattinson is currently in Los Angeles filming Water for Elephants, directed by Francis Lawrence, and co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse images: Kimberley French / Summit Entertainment.

Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman Bel Ami image: 19 Entertainment.