Drew Barrymore is out and Juan Antonio Bayona, protégé of the amazing Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, is in! Variety is reporting that Summit Entertainment has decided to pass on letting Drew Barrymore direct the third movie in the Twilight Saga and has opted to hire Baoyna who last directed the creepily beautiful movie The Orphanage. The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse will now be filmed under his direction:

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.” Production’s due to start shortly on “New Moon” with the key thesps — Robert Pattinson as Edward, Kristen Stewart as Bella and Taylor Lautner as Jacob — reprising their roles. “New Moon” is set to open Nov. 20. Melissa Rosenberg, who penned the “Twilight” and “New Moon” scripts, is working on “Eclipse,” in which Bella is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob. The four books in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series have sold more than 17 million copies worldwide.

Love this … while the idea of Drew Barrymore directing a film like this was marginally interesting, I think handing over the duty to someone with a darker aesthetic like Bayona will work better for the film. If any of y’all saw The Orphanage (which

Entertainment Weekly magazine is reporting that Hollywood actress and movie producer Drew Barrymore is among the folks being considered by Summit Entertainment to direct the third installment of the movie franchise version of the Twilight Saga. Because the theatrical release of The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse has been set for a mere 7 months after the first sequel The Twilight Saga’s New Moon will be released in theaters, a different director will need to be at the helm of the third movie. According to EW, Drew Barrymore is in the running for directing duties:

As Summit Entertainment looks to lock in a director for the third installment of the Twilight series, Eclipse, the company is talking to a select group of directors — including actress-turned-helmer Drew Barrymore, EW has learned. While this news may come as a surprise to some, Barrymore did just finish work on her directorial debut, Whip It! starring Ellen Page. Neither Summit nor Barrymore’s reps would comment for this story.

Interesting. It remains to be seen who else is in this “select group of directors” under consideration but I hope that, like Drew, there are a few female directors in there. As you may or may not know, Drew‘s production company made the new Charlie’s Angels movies that those turned out pretty cool. I have no idea what kind of job Drew might do as director of a movie like Eclipse but … I’d be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. It sure does seem like a whole lot of Hollywood folks want to get their fingers in the Twilight Saga movie franchise pie … which kinda sorta worries me. What do y’all think?

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Even tho the Twilight sequel New Moon, or The Twilight Saga‘s New Moon as it has been renamed, has yet to begin filming it has been announced that Summit Entertainment has already set a release date for the third installment of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, to be released in movie theaters. Because The Twilight Saga‘s Eclipse has been scheduled for release a mere 7 months after the second installment hits theaters, a new director will have to be selected for that film. OY! So much movement on a film that is scheduled to get made after the next film which has yet to be made is made. Confused? Yeah, me too. BE WARNED … the following information about the Eclipse movie contains SPOILERS that should be avoided if you haven’t read the books … read on with caution:

A third film in “The Twilight Saga” is now set, reports Deadline Hollywood Daily. Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the series based on Stephenie Meyer’s teen vampire books, has apparently decided to release Eclipse on June 30, 2010. That’s little more than half a year after the series’ second movie, New Moon, is due to come out, on Nov. 20, 2009. No director for the third film is confirmed yet, and New Moon and Eclipse aren’t set to be filmed back-to-back. Deadline Hollywood Daily also quotes this Eclipse plot summary from Summit: “As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death” … 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.

Clearly, the movie studio does not want to lose any momentum by spacing the films too far apart from one another. A Twilight film in the Fall followed by another the next Summer is sure to keep the rabid Twilighters hungry for more very happy … and loyal. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear sometime soon that the fourth installment, The Twilight Saga‘s Breaking Dawn, will get a release date in early 2011. It would appear that Summit Entertainment is really planning to keep the Twilight movies coming at close intervals. Personally, I’d prefer that they take time and care to put out the best movies possible … but in showbiz, sometimes quantity is substituted for quality. Are any of y’all Twilighters worried or excited by this news?

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