Drew Barrymore to Direct ‘Eclipse’

“New Moon,” the second film in “The Twilight Saga,” is still months away from release, but hype is already starting to build up regarding the third installment of the highly successful franchise. Actress turned director Drew Barrymore is reportedly in talks to helm “Eclipse,” the just announced third take on the vampire flick, with chances that she would be chosen for it being extremely high, EW reports.

Barrymore just finished her first foray into the industry as a director with “Whip It!,” starring Ellen Page. In this sense, she could easily clear her schedule to handle “Eclipse,” should she be chosen by Summit as director, EW informs. At the moment, she is one of a handful of select directors the studio is negotiating with, but chances are looking extremely good for her, it is further being said.

The rumor – since it is just that at this point – has not failed to create quite a stir with fans and movie critics and publications. Choosing a female director, after Catherine Hardwicke did “Twilight” and then passed on “New Moon,” would be a wonderful choice, it is being argued, since “the source material is targeted towards women,” as SlashFilm puts it. This would also be a wonderful opportunity for them to break into the directorial world, where they are still massively outnumbered by men, even if it’s with a project that’s bound to be critically panned.

“Eclipse,” set for release on June 30, 2010, still has a long way to go before anything more specific is made public to the media. However, it is believed, once a director is chosen, more details should be made available. In the meantime, fans will have “New Moon” to entertain themselves, which will hit theaters on November 20. And, of course, the plotline for “Eclipse,” as recently revealed by DeadlineHollywoodDaily.

“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.” goes the plotline for “Eclipse.”