A New Addition to the Cast of "Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

By our guest blogger Rob Stammitti of http://www.stammitti.wordpress.com

Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series is a divisive subject, both in its novel and film incarnations, but no matter what your opinion may be, one simply cannot deny the success of the franchise - the first adaptation, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) on a budget of $37 million, has a total worldwide gross (according to Box Office Mojo) of $383,530,753. It’s no surprise, then, that Paramount Pictures would jump at the opportunity to pump out adaptations of the book’s multiple sequels. The adaptation of "New Moon," the second book in the series, is scheduled for release next month. Execs are keeping them coming, though; while New Moon director Chris Weitz (known primarily for his comedy films American Pie and About a Boy) focuses on post-production and marketing, Hard Candy director David Slade directs the adaptation of the third novel, Eclipse, with a projected release date of June 30 of next year.

Most of the cast of the first two films will be returning for Eclipse, including Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as the main protagonists Bella and Edward, but we’ll be seeing a few new faces as well. Bryce Dallas Howard (Spider-Man 3) was reported this summer to be replacing Rachelle Lefevre, who plays an antagonist in the first two films. Added to the cast list very recently is 19-year-old actress Kirsten Prout.

E! News says of Prout’s role (SPOILER ALERT):

“[Prout’s character] Lucy is a prominent part of Jasper's backstory and builds a bloodsucking army with Catalina Sandino Moreno's Maria. Maria and the newest Cullen will eventually kill her.”

Kirsten Prout is mostly known for her role in the ABC Family TV drama Kyle XY, though she also had a large supporting role in Elektra, based on the Marvel Comics character. The Twilight franchise has proven incredibly beneficial to the careers of its two leads Stewart and Pattinson. Stewart was working primarily in independent features (such as David Gordon Green’s Undertow and Sean Penn’s recently Oscar-nominated Into the Wild), while Pattinson worked in television until his breakout role as a minor character in the fourth Harry Potter film. Both have been launched into stardom, and one can assume such a crucial role will do wonders for the young Prout.

"Twilight Saga: New Moon" is theatrically released on November 20th.