With director Bill Condon casting approximately 17,000 vampires to fill out the characters in the sprawling, two-film saga of Twilight: Breaking Dawn, it was only a matter of time before Michael Sheen either sealed a deal to come back as Volturi leader Aro or decided to leave the franchise and be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard (just kidding). Fortunately for fans of quality actors, he’s chosen the former course and will indeed appear in at least the second film.
Aro and Sheen both skipped Eclipse, but since the Volturi play a major part in Breaking Dawn – they once again provide the biggest threat to Bella and Edward’s life, love and happiness after being wrongly tipped off that the newlywed couple’s baby, Renesmee, is a forbidden Immortal Child – he was always going to be back for the franchise’s big finish.
The film(s) also feature a wealth of new vampire covens, including some international characters and plenty for our heroes to worry about.
Sheen himself has been busy recently: he’s got Tron Legacy waiting on the grid to come out, and he’s also worked in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and the indie comedy Jesus Henry Christ. Oh, and he’s back on stage in London next year in Hamlet. Hooray!
Breaking Dawn’s first chunk will arrive on November 11 next year, with the second scheduled for November 16 2012.