via Entertainment Weekly

Photo by: Timothy White

Vampires may be cold but this wolf pack is hot! And getting hotter: Four new actors have been pumping up to play the band of brotherly shape-shifters in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

The group – Chaske Spencer, 34, Alex Meraz, 24, Kiowa Gordon, 19, and Bronson Pelletier, 23 – join Taylor Lautner, 17, as he returns as Jacob Black for the sequel, due out Nov. 20.

Because the characters belong to the Quileute tribe, based in La Push, Wash., the film’s director, Chris Weitz, has insisted on authenticity. “They had to have papers that proved their heritage,” Weitz, who hired actors with Native American or First Nation ancestry, tells USA Today. “And they had to be in good physical shape.”

Not to mention possessing the ability to work half-naked in the chilly Vancouver, B.C., area, where the film has been shooting for several weeks. “They have all been good-natured,” says Weitz. “They show up on location in drenching, cold rain, and I say, ‘Okay, off with the robes.’ ”

Disrobing for a romp through the woods as Sam Uley, the pack’s alpha male, is New York-based Spencer. His Native American heritage is Lakota Sioux. Meraz, from Mesa, Ariz., plays Paul – the most volatile wolf-shifter – and boasts a Purepecha heritage.

Gordon is making his movie debut as Embry Call, Jacob’s best friend. He is from Peach Springs, Ariz., and has a Hualapai background. Rounding out the group as Jared is Pelletier of British Columbia. He’s done Canadian TV work and his family lines are Cree-Metis.

So they have buff physiques, but what about becoming wolves for the film? The transformations are computer-generated – the beasts are the size of horses and race around on all fours – but one part of each wolf will be familiar.

“They all have the actor’s eyes,” Weitz says.

via People

As Twilight series fans look forward to seeing Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner reprise their roles as Edward Cullen, Bella Swan, and Jacob Black in New Moon this November. Many of them, declaring their slight disappointment with the amount of the book that was left out of the first film, have declared those scenes that are crucial and must be included in New Moon (for that list, see here).

Others, however, say that the list is pointless – that Twilight fans should accept the fact that New Moon simply cannot be exactly like the book. To the chagrin of many, these folks say that they think New Moon, the film, may differ significantly from the book, and that this should be okay.

Critics of this viewpoint state that this is unfair to the millions that read and loved New Moon, and that it is indeed very possible to bring a faithful adaptation of the book to the big screen.

Twilight Examiner

Sequels can often take years to get made, but fans looking to sink their teeth into more “Twilight” won’t have to wait too long.

The third film in the series, “Eclipse,” will arrive on June 30, 2010, Summit Entertainment confirmed toAccess Hollywood. Sequel “New Moon” is due November 20 of this year.

Moreover, the series now has a name; based on the beloved novels of author Stephenie Meyer, the series has been officially named “The Twilight Saga.”

Chris Weitz will not direct the third film in the Twilight series, Eclipse, a source close to the production tells EW.com exclusively. Because New Moon, which Weitz is helming, and Eclipse are due to be released so close together (on Nov. 20, 2009, and June 30, 2010, respectively), Weitz will be in post-production on New Moon at the same time that Eclipse will be shooting. That said, the source confirms a report that the movies will not be shot simultaneously or back-to-back; there will be a brief gap between the production of both films

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Catherine Hardwicke helmed the massively successful “Twilight,” making stars out of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, along with having the biggest opening weekend ever for a female film director, but she will not return for the vampire sequel, “New Moon.”

Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily first broke the news that Hardwicke would not return and on Sunday the director released a statement toVariety. “I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct ‘New Moon,’” Hardwicke said in a statement released to the entertainment trade mag. “Directing ‘Twilight’ has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel — it is a great story.”

It appears that Summit didn’t give her her offer for the sequel in accordance with her timeline and she opted out. It seems that Hardwicke and the studio had some friction and told Deadline Hollywood Daily that she was “difficult” and “irrational”.