"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror." As Obi-Wan Kenobi might have said, the rumor that the fourth Twilight movie may be gearing up production for next year may cause millions to cry out in terror, even as hardcore fans squeal in delight.

Breaking Dawn is "in the works," according to The Wrap, though the actual "work" will not begin until the late spring of next year. Their source is "an individual close to the production," though a spokesperson for Summit Entertainment, which owns the rights to Stephenie Meyer's novel, declined to confirm or deny the rumor.

New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, began production in Vancouver last month, "setting Vancouver abuzz for weeks," says The Wrap, "with fans following the production around from location to location, often alerting each other via Twitter." (Maybe that's why Robert Pattinson's embarassing injury got noticed.) Filming under the direction of Chris Weitz is scheduled to conclude late next month, with Eclipse set for release on November 20. Meanwhile, production on Eclipse, the third film, is slated to begin in late summer, with a tentative release date of next summer. A director for that project has not yet been announced, though we know it's not Drew Barrymore.

The Wrap thinks that Breaking Dawn "would logically be scheduled for release before the end of next year," but I'm not sure why Summit needs to maintain such a breakneck pace. Are they hoping to shove the films out before the Twilight fervor subsides? Wouldn't it be better to slow down a little and make the best movies possible out of material that's beloved by millions? That might help them avoid the missteps of the first film. People will wait for good movies.

Just when you thought your favorite stars from High School Musical were graduating from the big-screen forever, it looks like Vanessa Hudgens (aka Oops, Remember When I Accidentally Took Naked Pictures of Myself) is auditioning for a role in another blockbuster franchise -- only this time she'll get to show her teeth. According to MTV, Hudgens has auditioned for the role of Leah Clearwater in the Twilight sequel, New Moon. Ah, but don't go hoping for tons of biting and sucking on Hudgens' part -- see, Clearwater is a female werewolf who's described as bitter and cynical, and eventually antagonizes Jacob because he's still in love with Bella ... who's about to marry Edward and become a vampire too. The character is also featured in the third and fourth books, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which means there's a good chance Hudgens would sign for the franchise.

Summit would be smart to cast Hudgens in a role since she'd most definitely bring her High School Musical fanbase (most of which are probably Twilight fans already). Oh, and seeing as she's a total hottie, one might argue that her casting could entice more boys to scope out the sequel. With a bigger budget, a new director (Chris Weitz) and a host of familiar teen names, could New Moon break more box office records when it hits theaters on November 20, 2009?

What do you Twilight fans think of Hudgens? Too cutesy to play a werewolf, or perfect for the role?

What, did you really think they'd only make one? According to the Hollywood Reporter, Summit Entertainment has decided to hang on to the property that has made them, and, heck, why not make it a franchise? Though the first film hasn't arrived in theaters yet, initial buzz from critics isn't horrible (our own James Rocchi told me it was "pretty good"), and so Summit has gone and acquired rights to the next three novels and brought Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg in to write the screenplays based on New Moon and Eclipse. Breaking Dawn, however, does not have a screenwriter just yet. Though nothing was announced, I'd expect them to shoot two of these suckers back-to-back, but I suppose we'll see which route they take.

As you're probably already aware, Twilight mania has taken the world a bit by storm. The source material has amassed a whole ton of fan sites, the soundtrack has hit number one on the charts and the flick is certainly poised to open big. How big, we do not know, though we'll certainly be asking for your opinion at the beginning of next week -- as well as shoveling out some pretty awesome Twilight interviews; one of which might just be with a girl named Bella -- so stay tuned.

Twilight hits theaters November 21.

More Twilight: Poll: How Much Will Twilight Make This Weekend?

NOTE: This post discusses Twilight, the movie, and the Twilight book series (particularly the latest book, Breaking Dawn), and is SPOILER HEAVY. If you've not read the books and don't want to read spoilers, do NOT read this post until you've read them. It's also longer than my usual column, as I had a lot of ground to cover, so if you hate reading long pieces, skip it. Thanks.

You're probably aware, even if you're not into books about vampires and clumsy, average teenage girls falling in love with one, that there's a popular book series called the Twilight Saga, and the first book in the series, Twilight, is being adapted for the big screen by director Catherine Hardwicke. What you may not be aware of is the little undercurrent of female writers decrying the series as inherently anti-feminist.

The Twilight series grew in popularity, mostly off the radar of the feminist set, until it got so popular that the feminists started to take notice -- and offense. I first became aware of this anti-feminist backlash when Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries (among other girly books) responded on her blog to readers writing her to ask what she thought of the series, thusly: " I didn't take my husband's last NAME when we got married. Do you honestly think I'd like a story about a girl considering changing SPECIES for a guy? No offense to any of you, but as a feminist, I just can't go there... "

I found Cabot's take interesting because I'm a feminist myself, who also didn't take my husband's last name when we got married, but I don't happen to find the series inherently anti-feminist. Nonetheless, since the release of the fourth book in the series, Breaking Dawn, on August 2, the feminist mutterings have started to escalate to a dull roar.

Devout fans of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight Saga" might not appreciate the comparisons, but it's easy to see from the outside that the books are being treated by the entertainment industry like the second coming of Harry Potter. Only with vampires instead of wizards. Yet despite all the excitement surrounding tomorrow's release (or tonight's release, if you're a real fan) of Meyer's fourth and final installment, "Breaking Dawn," I don't see the series really being as successful. I can't imagine a whole new Twilight-themed music genre forming, for instance ("vampire rock" would just be goth rock, anyway). And even with all the screams heard in Hall H last week during the Twilight panel at Comic-Con, I don't believe the movie is going to be anywhere as big as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I see it maybe clearing half of Sorcerer Stone's $318 mill. domestic take).

If the first Twilight movie is big enough to warrant further adaptations of the Saga, the franchise could possibly see itself being compared to Harry Potter in another way, at least if Meyer has any say in the way "Breaking Dawn" makes it to the big screen. Similar to how the seventh and final Potter novel, "Deathly Hallows" is being split in half for two separate films (the first part will be released in December 2010, with the second part arriving six months later), Meyer tells MTV that there needs to be two separate movies made out of the final book in her series. And she knows exactly where the story should be split (see if you can figure out where while reading the book this week), which makes me wonder why she didn't just write five books rather than four.

To hear the suggestion straight from the author's mouth, check out MTV's interview with Meyer after the jump.

As both a cinephile and a candy freak, I get excited anytime there's a new movie-themed confection (as you can see from this Cinematical Seven from last Halloween). While some tie-ins are less tasty than others -- it's no wonder that the movie theater I worked at had trouble pushing Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at the concession stand -- everything is worth sampling. And from time to time, some candies, such as the Star Wars prequel-inspired dark chocolate M&Ms and this summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-themed Snickers Adventures Bar, end up being far better than the movie they're helping to market.

Being apparently one of the few people who has no interest in Twilight whatsoever, I'm sure to feel the same way about a new tie-in from Godiva, which MTV Movies Blog excitedly spotlighted this morning. It's actually more related to the books, as its packaging features the cover of the first book in Stephanie Meyers' popular series. And Barnes and Noble will begin selling them tomorrow in connection with this weekend's release of the fourth book of the Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn." However, you could certainly stock up now (they're probably a limited edition item), so that you can sneak one into the cinema each of those hundreds of times you'll be sitting through Twilight the movie this December. Or maybe a smart theater chain will sell them at their concession stand, to avoid having fans smuggle in contraband candy (if you know me well, you know I don't like to encourage sneaking snacks). Keep in mind, though, that there's nothing entirely special about this bar, except that it has a special Twilight-themed sleeve. Otherwise it's just simply Godiva's boring (yet delicious) old milk chocolate bar.

Boy, you miss a few weeks work to move 2,000 miles, and you fall behind on all kinds of things going on in the world of Twilight. All you Twilighters have, no doubt, been keeping up to speed with everything that's been going on out there -- you're making plans to attend Breaking Dawn parties, planning what you're going to wear, entering giveaway contests, and getting your Twilight-inspired costumes put together (who knew there were so many varieties of vampire fangs out there?).

I know, you have it much more together than I do on all the Twilight madness, but hey, I've been on the road with four kids, a dog and a cat all crammed into a 1998 Ford Windstar, moving back to Seattle, so I'm just now getting around to catching up. So here's a rundown of all-things Twilight for you -- in case you, like me, have been having a busy summer.

Cinematical is stoked to have received this exclusive Twilight e-card widget for all you Twilighters out there. I know that you, like me, are anxiously awaiting both the August 2 release date of Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the series, and the December 12 release of the hotly anticipated Twilight movie. This will give you a little something to do to kill the time while you're waiting.

Edward looks much more ... vampirish than in the earlier cast shots we saw, and you'll note that his eyes are most assuredly topaz here. What do you think of the pic? Check it out, send it to all your Twlight-mania friends, and enjoy! For more on Twilight, feel free to visit the film's official website.

Whew. Now that I'm back from Cannes, it's time to dive back into checking out what's going on in the world outside the glamor and glitz of the world's sexiest film industry trade show. Of course, one of the first things I wanted to catch up on was what's been going on in the world of Twilight fandom. Before leaving for Cannes, I snagged a copy of Stephenie Meyer's' newest book, The Host, and I devoured it every night while on the trip.

Quick thoughts on The Host: Compelling and dramatic story, great characters, and it pretty much has "adapt me into a movie, please!" written all over it. For those not in the know, the book is a tale about an alien invasion by a race of intelligent parasitic beings who take over the body of a host and obliterate the "soul" of the person who previously resided there.

My daughter and I are huge fans of the Twilight series. We've both read all three existing books -- Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse -- and are marking the days off on a mental calendar until the August 2 release date of the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, and my daughter and I could discuss the books endlessly.

We've had countless conversations about whether Bella should become a vampire, or if Stephenie Meyer will ever stop teasing us with that and let Edward turn her, already. And whether Bella will have a vampire "superpower" once she does turn, and what that power might be. And which characters we like the most. And so on, and so on, as I'm sure the rest of you hardcore Twilight fans do.