In 2005, author Stephenie Meyer's first novel kicked off what would become a massive pop-cultural sensation across multiple media with a simple story aimed squarely at young adult readers.  Meyer played with erotic vampire tropes that go back further than Bram Stoker's Dracula, upending them for a tale of quasi-symbolic sexual repression and idealized, melodramatic love that allowed the love story of vampiric Edward Cullen and human Bella Swan to become a publishing sensation well beyond its original audience.

By the time Twilight arrived in theaters in 2008, fans were already displaying an unusual fervor for the material, and the film series from Summit Entertainment caused both the breadth of the audience and its passion to increase exponentially.  Since that first film became a surprise hit, its sequels, New Moon and Eclipse have arrived in consecutive years and the franchise has grossed over $1.8 billion dollars globally, making international superstars out of the young cast pretty much overnight.  The teenage romance became a commercial juggernaut, one that has proven polarizing even as it pervades the culture and rakes in massive amounts of money.

Now, the penultimate installment of the franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, is about to debut, and fans are characteristically ecstatic.  The new film, adapting roughly half of the final novel in the series by Meyer, is directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Bill Condon, and takes the story in both more outrageous and more mature directions, as Bella and Edward finally get hitched, forcing them deal with the unforeseen consequences of their union, including a vampiric pregnancy and some very angry werewolves.  At the Los Angeles press day for Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Myer and Condon were present to discuss this latest entry in the series, as were stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.  Read on to discover their thoughts on this sequel, shooting two movies simultaneously, vampire birthing, imprinting on newborns, and the impending end of the series.

Opening in theaters on November 18th is the first installment of the final chapter of the Twilight film franchise, based on the extremely popular novels by author Stephenie Meyer, entitled The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Returning to pen the last two movies in the series is screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the preceding films, and taking over the director's chair is Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls). The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 features the franchises returning stars Kristen Stewart (The Runaways), Robert Pattinson (Water for Elephants), and Taylor Lautner (Abduction), as well as actors Nikki Reed (Thirteen), Peter Facinelli (Can't Hardly Wait), Elizabeth Reaser (TV's Grey's Anatomy), Ashley Greene (Skateland), Kellan Lutz (Immortals), Jackson Rathbone (The Last Airbender), Julia Jones (Jonah Hex), Billy Burke (Drive Angry 3D), Sarah Clarke (TV's 24), Maggie Grace (TV's Lost), and Michael Sheen (Tron: Legacy). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, as well as actor Peter Facinelli to discuss their work on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. They talked about the new film, first time Twilight director Bill Condon, how to split the book into two different movies, the eventual introduction of actress Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee Cullen, the much anticipated wedding scene, and why the ladies love Edward. 

Whoa, suddenly it's September and we're not only approaching the Fall, but more importantly for fans of Stephenie Meyer's crazy-popular novels and their film adaptations, as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is less than three months from packing cinemas from sea to shining sea.  That's right, the penultimate installment of the Twilight  series is on the cusp of becoming a consuming pop-cultural presence, as Summit Entertainment will no doubt be ramping up the marketing effort in the near future.  In order to prime the pump, so to speak, we have a brand new image of Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan preparing for her wedding to Edward Cullen, though Robert Pattinson is obviously not present, since it's bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding, regardless of vampiric tendencies.  Instead, Bella's parents, played by Billy Burke and Sarah Clarke, look at their daughter with barely-contained emotion.

I have something in common with Jacob Black, the lovestruck lupine teen played in the Twilight films by Taylor Lautner.  When I found out the love of my life was marrying a vampire, I also ran off into the rain, removed my shirt, and turned into a giant wolf.  That's just one of the things you'll see in the first trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, the penultimate adaptation of the hugely popular novels by Stephenie Meyer.   Also on display: the wedding and subsequent vampire-on-human lovemaking between Kristen Stewart's Bella and Robert Pattinson's Edward.  If interspecies eroticism doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will.

Synopsis: DRIVE ANGRY stars Nicolas Cage as Milton, a hardened felon who has broken out of hell for one last chance at redemption. Intent on stopping a vicious cult who murdered his daughter, he has three days to stop them before they sacrifice her baby beneath a full moon.

He’s joined by Piper (Amber Heard) – a young, sexy waitress who liberates her ex-boyfriend’s cherry-red muscle car in order to help Milton. Now, the two of them are hot on the trail of the deadly leader of the cult, Jonah King (Billy Burke), who believes it is his destiny to use the baby to unleash hell on earth.

But the bloodthirsty cult is the least of Milton’s problems. The police are after him too. And worse, an enigmatic killer known only as “The Accountant” – who has been sent by the Devil to retrieve Milton and deliver him back to hell. With wicked cunning and hypnotic savagery, the Accountant will relentlessly pursue Milton at high speed across the country until his mission is accomplished.

Fueled by high octane and pure rage, Milton must use his anger to go beyond all human limits to avenge his daughter’s murder, before his last chance at redemption is revoked.