'Twilight' fans, beware: The third film just got a LOT creepier

‘Twilight’ fans, beware: The third film just got a LOT creepier

March 12, 2009 7:10 AM PT

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UPDATED

This post was based on a Variety story that made it sound like Bayona’s hiring was a done deal but, according Patrick Goldsten and his Big Picture blog, that may not be the case. We’ll keep you posted on the situation.

It’s official, according to the trades, the filmmaker behind the hypnotic horror film ‘The Orphanage’ (shown above) will be brought in for the third ‘Twilight’ film. The second movie in the franchise, ‘New Moon,’ is due in theaters in November and the third, ‘Eclipse,’ is two years out. Here’s an excerpt from Dave McNary’s story:

Summit Entertainment has tapped Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona to direct ‘Eclipse,’ the third pic in the ‘Twilight’ vampire series. Summit, which had no comment Wednesday, is expected to make the official announcement soon. The minimajor recently gave ‘Eclipse’ a release date of June 30, 2010. Bayona’s a protege of Guillermo Del Toro. He directed the Spanish-language horror-thriller ‘The Orphanage,’ which was exec produced by Del Toro, and is attached to helm the Universal thriller ‘Hater,’ with Del Toro and Mark Johnson producing. Summit’s opted for a different director on each ‘Twilight’ pic. Chris Weitz replaced ‘Twilight’ director Catherine Hardwicke on ‘New Moon.’

This promises to take the franchise into some very interesting directions. ‘Twilight’ fans, check out my in-depth 2007 feature on Bayona and the ‘The Orphanage’ to get a sense of the dark place your favorite vamps are headed ... and here’s the trailer for ‘The Orphanage’...

-- Geoff Boucher