You know her best as Sayeed’s hot yet ill-fated love interest Shannon in Lost and as a daughter who’s father “has a particular set of skills” in Taken. Now, Maggie Grace is set to jump into another role: a vampire who threatens Kristen Stewart’s Bella in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.

According to the report, Grace will play the role of Irina in the final installments of the Stephenie Meyer novel, which Bill Condon is directing as two separate films. In case you don’t know or haven’t read the books, Irina is a member of the Denali coven of vampires who are considered cousins to the Cullens as they are the only others who don’t prey on humans.

Sadly, things go wrong as they often do and when Irina blames the Cullens for the death of her lover, she plots revenge. . . and things go downhill from there.

Part one of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn will be released by Summit Entertainment on November 18, 2011. The second will hit theaters late in 2012.

A brand new trailer for Red, featuring Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, and Mary Louise Parker made its debut at San Diego’s Comic-Con. The film is based on the cult D.C. graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer.

It has been branded as  “an explosive action-comedy.” Mirren, Willis, Freeman and Malkovich play a foursome of retired CIA operatives who are now being framed for assassination, because they know too much.  They must band together and use their combined wit and skills to survive.  They also uncover a massive conspiracy.

Red is directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife.) I think it looks like a blast.  Who doesn’t love seeing Helen Mirren toting weapons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Red is being released by Summit entertainment on October 15. Check out the new trailer after the break.

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*Note: this column was written on Sunday, so four-day totals that include Monday’s receipts will differ from these numbers.

It was no surprise that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse dominated the weekend box office. The film made $69 Million over the weekend.  Add in a record breaking $30M midnight take on Tuesday night,  and Wednesday and Thursday’s totals, and the movie has made $161 Million as of today.

It did fall short of breaking the all-time opening day record set by its  predecessor New Moon, which made $72 Million on its opening day. Eclipse came awfully close, making about $68.5 in the same time frame.  At any rate, Eclipse recouped its budget of $69 Million in one day.

We can expect the film to drop off quite a bit in upcoming weeks, as the series historically has been very front loaded, but this film does seem to be getting good word of mouth, so the drop off might not be as steep.

The Last Airbender did a lot better than I expected it to.  Obviously the built in fan base helped elevate the critically reviled film to an okay opening weekend.  Airbender made $40 Million over the weekend, but since it opened on Thursday, its total is now $56 Million.

That’s still a long way from its $150 Million budget, though, and word of mouth has been brutal, so the movie may fall off considerably after this weekend.  If so, it will be a disaster for Paramount, which has sunk about $280M into the film between the budget and marketing.  It also leaves the future of the franchise, and the career of director M. Night Shyamalan hanging in the balance.

Toy Story 3 is still going strong in its third week in release, making another $30 Million.  This brings its total to $289 Million.  Finding Nemo is Pixar’s highest grossing movie of all time, with $339 Million in ticket sales. It is looking highly likely that Toy Story 3 will exceed that during its theatrical run.

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Fans will be relieved to know that Eclipse is a vast improvement over its two predecessors, Twilight and New Moon. Director David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) manages to elevate almost every aspect of the film.  There is a decidedly darker and edgier tone this time around, and it is a welcome change.  It’s not a great film, but it is a lot more enjoyable than the first two.

For the uninitiated, let me quickly bring you up to speed on what has previously happened in the story.  Bella (Kristen Stewart) is  in love with a Vampire, Edward (Robert Pattinson.)  He is part of a Vampire clan who will not feed on humans based on principle.  They are “good” Vampires, if you will.  In the same town there is a Quileute tribe who can shape-shift into wolves.

They have been sworn to protect their town from Vampires.  One of the wolves (Jacob, played by Taylor Lautner) is in love with Bella, thus setting up a love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Got it?

Slade immediately establishes that this is not going to be the same teeny-bopper fare with a brutal opening sequence that is worthy of any horror movie. A teenage boy is walking by himself at night and is stalked, assaulted, and murdered. There has also been a rash of murders in Seattle that carry the markings of Vampire killings.

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If you’re not familiar with Warren Ellis’ three -issue comic miniseries Red don’t worry. Unless you’re a fan of Ellis (which I am) you may not have seen it before. Regardless of that, Hollywood — and Summit Entertainment in particular — has seen fit to adapt Red for the big screen and we have the first trailer for that adaptation to show you today.

To be honest, this trailer doesn’t really remind me much of the comic. In fact, it almost seems like an entirely different story. Sure, the original miniseries was only three issues so some enhancement had to take place. But this trailer and the movie it represents seems more like a comedy than the balls out action comic about a retired assassin who should have been left alone I remember reading.

Although it does seem quite a bit different, at least to me, I still kinda like it. That’s the problem with adaptations of novels, comics, games or whatever, they don’t usually stay the same way you remember them. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If changes are made that are simply arbitrary, that’s where I start to have a problem with them.

Having read Red very recently, I’m probably just sensitive to perceived changes. After all, its just a trailer with a whole movie still to come. Guess I should just wait and see.

Does this trailer work for you or is it yet another sub-standard adaptation of a comic to come out this year? Judge for yourself after the jump. Red, which features Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary-Louse Parker and Morgan Freeman, opens October 15th.

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If like me, you have survived the onslaught of witty repartee between Iron Man and War Machine, time standing still in Robin Hood, and the hot mess of CGI and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia then you are ready for what awaits you in June. Make no mistake, you may not have the monster in Manolo’s, otherwise known as Carrie Bradshaw, to suffer through but you do have a mêlée of 80’s rehashes that studios happily throw money at.

So, suit up, grab your popcorn, and prepare yourself for the next adventure that await you.

JUNE

June 4th

Ondine

Were you expecting a description of The A Team perhaps? At this point, anyone who is seeing The A Team on Friday already has their tickets, and even my words of wisdom will be unable to stop them. Instead I’ll spotlight a film that deserves attention.

Ondine is an independent film starring Colin Farrell as a fisherman who pulls up a beautiful woman in his nets. His sick, precocious daughter believes she is a Selkie, a Scottish seal who becomes a human wife on land. Time will tell if she is really as she seems.

Geekiness Factor: As a fairytale set in the modern era, it combines Splash and Heroes with a dose of romanticism and second chances. This movie works because it doesn’t use CGI, in fact the only special effects it uses comes from your very own imagination in overdrive. Its sense of wonder on faith, entrances you back to a time when you still believed in Santa Claus.

Screen Steamer: Colin Farrell has served me a heap of B movie bad boy charm in past films like The Recruit, S.W.A.T., not to mention a harmonious turn in Crazy Heart. Here he takes off his shirt only once, but seems well cast as a fisherman down on his luck and striving to be sober. Alicja Bachleda keeps you guessing as Ondine, which means “from the water.” She is alluring with a subtle sensuality in ocean soaked dresses, only coming up for air to coyly flirt with a scruffy Colin.

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We’re less than 2 months away from the third film in the Twilight Saga, titled Eclipse, to hit theaters, but that won’t slow down Summit Entertainment, as they’ve already locked the final film, Breaking Dawn, in with a release date of November 18, 2011.

Between this release date and news of Academy Award winning director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) joining the project, we’re getting a good amount of answers for a film that was once called by producers “unfilmable.” Questions we still need answered? Will this book be adapted into two films, much like the adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows? Also, can we expect the same 3D treatment that just about every other film next year will be getting?

This new release date puts Dawn up against some pretty heavy hitters, including Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman, from comedy director Shawn Levy, as well as Relativity Media’s Immortals in 3D, Happy Feet 2 in 3D, and the Shrek spinoff, Puss in Boots.

It’s no doubt that Dawn will take the weekend, if not the month of November in the box office, but the questions now lie with the production. Can Summit and Condon film the “unfilmable”? We should find out later this year, as Breaking Dawn starts shooting this fall.

About a month ago, we brought you the first look at this summer biggest vampire film based on a bestselling novel with Twilight: Eclipse. The film is the second to last in the series, which is followed by Breaking Dawn, which can’t seem to find a director or structure.

The trailer for the film seems to focus more on the action of the film, and less on the drama, which is a nice switch from the previous films. In this one, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and his pack of family members must team up with the Edward (Rob Pattinson) and the Cullens to take down the rest of the vampire nation.

Of course, there is plenty of Edward-Bella-Jacob drama mixed in there, but it’s nice to think of a Twilight film to be about more than just an awkward love triangle.

Check out the first full trailer of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse after the jump, and be sure to catch it in theaters everywhere on June 30th.

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Here it is Twilight fans your first look at the brand new poster for the upcoming third installment of the big screen Twilight franchise, otherwise known as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. In this new poster it would seem the focus is shifting from our two male rivals Edward Cullen and Jacob Black towards our favorite female inhabitant of Forks, WA Bella Swan.

She’s front and center and clearly dominating the world these boys live in. Plus, as aptly described by the poster’s tagline of “It all begins with a choice” we know that Bella’s in the driver’s seat for this movie and probably for the rest of the series as well. Sure, she will probably be unsure and hesitate ,but in the end she’ll make the only decision possible and choose her true love.

Until then, you can count on lots of fighting, drama, rain, shirtless vampires and werewolves and teen angst.

Check out the full poster after the jump. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits theaters on June 30th.

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Now that the trailer has hit for the third Twilight installment, Eclipse, Summit has begun the hunt for the lucky soul to sit in the director’s chair for the final dose of Twilight: Breaking Dawn. According to Entertainment Weekly, they’re aiming high and want no less than someone with an Oscar nomination or two under their belt.

Summit has reportedly approached Sofia Coppola, Gus Van Sant, and Bill Condon with offers.   It’s still very hush hush, however, as only Van Sant’s representatives would confirm first contact. Summit declined to comment.   Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg’s script outline is due next week, so it’s unlikely any serious offers can be made until  everyone knows how the iffy bits are going to be handled.

Stephanie Meyer will also have to weigh in, as she has approval over every hire Summit makes.  Any Twilighters know whether she prefers Marie Antoinette to Dreamgirls? What does she think of Good Will Hunting?

Of course, it may end up being none of these fine people. When Chris Weitz dropped out of the series after helming New Moon, the list of possible Eclipse directors was long and interesting:  Drew Barrymore, Juan Antonio Bayona, Paul Weitz, and James Mangold were all name dropped before David Slade climbed on board.

With that in mind, do you think we can convince David Cronenberg consider the gig?  If so, Breaking Dawn would officially be the first Twilight film I’d be camped out to see.

As I was watching the new Eclipse trailer, out of sheer boredom and a hint of curiosity, I found myself wondering why in the world two super-powered boys would fight it out over a girl clad in American Apparel who’s a hell of a downer.

How is there an entire film series devoted to one girl’s delusional obsessions of a fairy tale ending with a born-again killer? Sparkely vampires want to kill you, strapping werewolf shape-shifters want to keep you safe.

Do these Edward fans have a death wish and a yearning for abandonment? Is Bella Swan so heavily marketed as mesmerizing that it erases the history of the brazen blonde that came before her?

A long time ago, otherwise known as the 90’s, there was a series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer where a feisty girl from the southland slayed Urban Outfitted demons. This legendary show paved the way for multi-tasking girls who cheer by day, slay by night, and every once in a while hook-up with a tormented blood sucker.

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Remember a couple days ago when we brought you the preview for the first trailer for the upcoming Twilight sequel Eclipse? Good, you can forget that now as we’ve got the whole thing for you today.

And now, once we’ve seen the full teaser, it only adds to what we said earlier in the week about the film. Even if you’re not a fan of the books or the movies you have to give the filmmakers credit for casting some pretty attractive and appealing people in these roles. Plus, they really seem to know how to milk the last little bit of angsty teen emotion from these situations.

Also, director David Slade comes to the table with a rather cool vampire flick to his credit (30 Days of Night) and has shown his ability to put together some pretty nice visuals while also managing to think about character at the same time. Add all this up and I’m not exactly sure what it means but if you look at this teaser, you might be able to figure it out.

Prediction: This film will make even more money than the first two. Anyone want to bet against it?

Check out the teaser after the jump. Eclipse hits theaters June 30th.

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