Michael Sheen seems to like repetition in his life. Michael Sheen seems to like repetition in his life. He played former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on TV, then again in The Queen, and will be playing him for a third time in The Special Relationship (with Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton). He played journalist David Frost on stage, and then again for the film Frost/Nixon. He battled vampires in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and according to The Daily Mail he will now become one, as he has joined vampire flick New Moon (sequel to last years Twilight).

Sheen, 40, who made his name with uncannily realistic portrayals of well-known figures in Oscar-winning films The Queen, Frost/Nixon and The Damned United, will get his biggest pay cheque yet, a reported £5million, to star in New Moon.

In New Moon, Sheen will play Aro, the leader of an Italian vampire clan called the Volturi.

Director Chris Weitz confirmed Sheen’s casting to The Mail on Sunday and said he had ‘aggressively’ pursued the actor.

‘Michael’s role is so important because he’s the head of all vampires,’ he said. ‘Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat.’

Usually The Daily Mail is nothing more than a typical British tabloid, however they have quotes from director Chris Weitz which helps it’s credability, compared to the usual ‘a source says’. I guess this makes Sheen the first ‘real actor’ to join the franchise (I went there) as the other cast members seem to be fresh faced newcomers hired purely for their looks. However like the Harry Potter actors, i’m sure they will grow with each film.

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The search is over. A new director has been found for New Moon. Summit Entertainment have announced that The Golden Compass director Chris Weitz will be replacing Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke for the sequel. This comes just a week after it was revealed that Hardwicke wouldn’t be directing New Moon due to timing issues.

“I am honored to have been entrusted with shepherding ‘New Moon’ from the page to the screen,” said Weitz. “The extraordinary world that Stephenie has created has millions of fans, and it will be my duty to protect on their behalf the characters, themes and story they love. This is not a task to be taken lightly, and I will put every effort into realizing a beautiful film to stand alongside a beautiful book.”

The swift replacement is not surprising. Summit plan on releasing New Moon at the end of next year, which means they will need to start shooting in the upcoming months. Apparently a script has already been turned in, which suggests things should be fine time-wise. However, will all of this rushing around create a crappy film in the end? Rushed movies hardly ever turn out great.

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