Alright, let's get the Twilight out of the way first. Entertainment Weekly has a couple of new images from the set of New Moon, and if anything, I suppose it's small solace that director Chris Weitz looks like he has this shoot on schedule for a November 20th release. For those of us who didn't know, this sequel concerns Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her divided love for both vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson - SQUEE!) and werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Maybe Kate Beckinsale should give her some advice on how to handle this...

Now, in somewhat related news, the rumor du jour as to which villain will play a part in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 has turned to Morbius, the well-meaning scientist (natch) who unwittingly transforms himself into a psuedo-vampire (no, thank you, Wikipedia!). The notorious showman plays coy when asked in this FearNET interview (that's hosted on... CHUD?), but then goes on about the appeal of vampires in a way that doesn't rule the possibility out...

Spider-Man 4 is scheduled for a 2011 bow, so let me use this as yet another opportunity to nudge you to support Raimi's very fun Drag Me to Hell this weekend.

This just in: David Slade (30 Days of Night, Hard Candy) will be directing the third film in the Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Might not be the first guy to pop in your head, but he's obviously capable of delivering believable vampires (and Josh Hartnett as someone you want to root for in a film -- big points for that) while upping the tension, and he's definitely the kind of guy who could bring more male moviegoers to the franchise. Sh*t, I kinda want to see the film now.

Nikki Finke reported the Slade talks earlier today, and a press release announcing his hiring was released shortly thereafter. Eclipse is currently scheduled to hit theaters on June 30, 2010, right smack in the middle of summer blockbuster alley. Will this film rule the summer of 2010 and outshine Iron Man 2? Shocking, perhaps, but these look to be the top contenders.

What do you think of Slade directing Eclipse? Good choice? Bad one? Check out the press release below.

Summit Entertainment announced today that David Slade has been hired to direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studio's TWILIGHT film franchise based on the Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster book series, will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The announcement was made by Erik Feig, Summit's President of Production.

Meyer stated, "I am thrilled that David Slade will be directing ECLIPSE. He's a visionary filmmaker who has so much to offer this franchise. From the beginning, we've been blessed with wonderful directorial talent for the Twilight Saga, and I'm so happy that ECLIPSE will be carrying on with that tradition."

I think every actress and their mother may become attached to New Moon or Eclipse in the months ahead. (Really, though -- what can top the Madonna rumors?)

The latest rumor comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. Supposedly, Drew Barrymore is in talks to direct Eclipse, the third installment of the Twilight series. It's difficult to say if Barrymore would be a good pick or not, as she's just completed her directorial debut, Whip It! But she's run her production company with a lot of savvy, so why not? Too many actors have managed to be a success behind the camera for anyone to sneer, and it would be nice if an actress was actually among those successful ranks.

If you were wondering "So, what happened to Chris Weitz?" well, he's not coming back. The film and its release date were just announced in the trades, but they failed to mention that Weitz wouldn't be returning. According to EW, the production schedule will be so crunched that Weitz will be in post production on New Moon as Eclipse begins shooting, so it will be impossible for him to be behind the camera. (There are directors who manage that kind of multi-tasking, but they're probably crazy or have Starbucks for blood.)

I have to say -- I feel for you, Twilight fans. It's never fun when your franchise turns on itself.

While Twilight and Robert Pattinson fandom was busy watching the Oscars for a glimpse of the immortal heartthrob (and I was frightened by just how, er, undead he actually looks when not wearing fangs), a very important decision was being made. Clear your calenders, ladies (and some gents) -- according to Variety, Summit has not only made its plans for the third installment definite, they've given you something to hope for. Not only is the third Twilight installment officially on the pre-production runway, it has a release date.

So, without further ado: Eclipse is scheduled to be released June 30, 2010, a departure from the broody fall dates of the previous two installments. This also means Eclipse and New Moon will shoot back to back. On the upside, the actors won't age appreciatively between films. On the downside, the films may end up rushed and sloppy.

Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner will return, of course -- although as we all know, Lautner narrowly won back the part of Jacob after adding some necessary bulk. Melissa Rosenberg, who penned the scripts for Twilight and New Moon is even now putting fingers to keyboard, and working on the script.
It's assumed by the trades that replacement director Chris Weitz will helm Eclipse but hey -- everyone kind of assumed Catherine Hardwicke would come back for New Moon, so there could always be a change up behind the camera.

Now you know your plans for June 30, 2010. It will be here before you know it.

I think I may have heard just a little buzz regarding this Twilight movie. Apparently it's based on the first book in a somewhat popular series that deals with young lovers and vampirism -- OK, I'm kidding. You can't work in the movie-news biz without knowing that Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight is one of the most hotly-anticipated films of late 2008. The project may be supported by only a few demographic groups (mainly young women and their moms, I believe), but those fans have been powerfully vocal in their excitement for this movie. Which is how it should be, if you ask me.

Twilight hits the screens on November 21, and each new bit of news has the loyal fans squeeing with delight. And so we're all very happy to give those fans their first peek at the final one-sheet. I've cropped a small section up there in the top right, but for the whole dang poster you'll have to enter ... beneath the jump! (In other words, just click on "continue reading," and maybe be prepared to change your desktop wallpaper.)

No, Twilight fans -- it's ok! This is good news and it isn't going to result in a delay of the movie. Summit wouldn't break your hearts like that. Even though the clock is ticking, the studio is taking a bit of time to smooth out the movie's kinks. According to MTV, they're going back and filming some extra scenes, months after principle photography wrapped -- a move planned long before Twilight snagged the vacant Harry Potter date.

It isn't because anyone's dissatisfied with the film -- the cast insists the opposite is true. "They liked it so much, they are bringing us back for some encore time - to beef it up," says Peter Facinelli, who you all know better as the vampire Carlisle Cullen. "A little salt and pepper." Taylor Lautner, the head of this whole "Team Jacob" thing, says that rehearsals for the new scenes were "a ton of fun" and that they're just to clarify a few plot points. "I know they've been showing it to some people, and some people go, 'I want to see a little more of this,' or, 'I don't quite understand this,' " he explained.

None of the cast members could reveal what the new scenes were, but you Twilight fans can probably guess from the hints, such as Facinelli's being a flashback. "It gives us a little bit of history of the Cullen family. They are just shooting a couple of different added scenes, and the scene I'm in, I can tell you it's me and Robert Pattinson ... Rosalie and Emmett are in that scene."

The ending is also being tweaked to include Lautner. "I am going to be in the prom scene now, at the very end of the film," he said. "At first we didn't film that, and now some people are saying they want to see a bit more of Jacob, and they want him in the prom scene at the end."

It drives me nuts not to know what any of this means, which means it's time to borrow the book from someone. In the meantime, Twilight fans, discuss these developments among yourselves.

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.