Easter Bunny brings 'Twilight' fans a present: a new cast member for 'New Moon'

April 11, 11:27 PMTwilight ExaminerAmanda Bell

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon is picking up speed with its casting lately. Joining the likes of returnees Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser, Billy Burke, Michael Welch, Christian Serratos, Anna Kendrick, Justin Chon, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre, and Gil Birmingham, will be Michael Sheen, reports say.

First we saw the addition of Dakota Fanning to the cast list for the role of Jane. Then, the wolfpack and Heidi were announced (actors Bronson Pelletier, Chaske Spencer, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman alongside Taylor Lautner for the wolfpack and Noot Sear for Heidi), then we got wind that Sweeney Todd star Jamie Campbell-Bower would become Caius in the Twilight series films, and now (as my friends over at Cullen Boys Anonymous so kindly pointed out), we can add Michael Sheen to the list for the part of Aro, also a Volturi coven member who, alongside Caius, reigns over Volterra (and pretty much the vampiric world as we know it in Twilight).

Michael Sheen, British film star in such pieces as the up-coming Alice in Wonderland and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and (previously) hit films Frost/Nixon, The Queen, Blood Diamond, Kingdom of Heaven, Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Timeline, carries with him one hay of a resume as he enters the set of The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

The Daily Mail, who broke the story, reports that Chris Weitz, director of New Moon, pursued Sheen in a rather aggressive fashion for the role. Why? Perhaps it is because the role of Aro in The Twilight Saga: New Moon and, especially, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is a rather complex one. Sure, on paper Aro is a cloaked vampire with a bloodlust for our favorite characters with gifts such as Alice and Edward Cullen, but beneath the surface (especially when Aro is brought to the big screen), he will need to be vexed in a way.

I say that because the character of Caius, who will be played by Campbell-Bower, and Aro will go head-to-head on certain issues near the end of the series. Aro's sense or right and equity is tested near the end of the series, especially when it comes to our dear Renesmee and the almost-showdown between the stacked-and-backed Cullen coven (with Taylor Lautner, and the rest of the wolfpack to boot at, as Stephenie Meyer would say, their flanks). The portrayal of Aro will require a presentation of self-inspection and dignity in order to accomplish on-screen the inner-feats that Aro went through in the books. Sure, Aro had the power in New Moon to keep Alice and Edward all his own (thus effectively solidifying his trifecta of extra-sensory perception), but he didn't. Ah, the discussion could continue on this matter, but suffice it to say that, of the three Volturi members, it was precisely important (at least in my humble opinion) that Aro be cast perfectly.

Word also has it that Tinsel Korey, who was un-confirmed before for the role of Emily, is a definite go. There were also some waves in the blogosphere and fansite community (for a full discussion, visit my friends over at NewMoonMovie.org's article on-point here) where names like Kim Kardashian and Justine Wachsberger floated around. Specifically, it seems, Kardashian wants it, and IMDb says Justine has it (for the fairly small part of Gianna, the Volturi's human secretary pet (whose fate she willingly entrusts to the Volturi).

Phew! So what is left? Obviously, we still need to cast the "bored" Marcus, whose role and lines are bound to be very short. Also, we need to see an Alec, whose physical description nears that of Jane enough that they together could rightfully be called the terror twins. Furthermore, there are a lot of other Volturis left to be cast - Demetri, Felix, Chelsea being some - as well as some more members of the wolfpack - Seth and Leah Clearwater, perhaps, most importantly.

With the addition of the likes of Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen, we can definitely surmise that we are no longer dealing with low expectations from Summit Entertainment, or a low budget for that matter. Perhaps, rightly, we can put to bed our concerns over the accuracy of the book-to-film translation (as, we saw, most of them stemmed from worry that the studio would underestimate our staying power as Twilight fans). Though some fans have shown disappointment with the look of Jamie Campbell-Bower (see here) for Caius, perhaps the casting folks on the project got it right with this one. After all, Michael Sheen, a forty year old man, is clearly not a kid (which was one of the major complaints over the choice of Campbell-Bower).

What do you think? Do you think Michael Sheen looks the part for Aro? Are you excited at his addition to the cast? Comment below and let us know!

Thanks to Cullen Boys Anonymous for reminding me of this!

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