CATHERINE HARDWICKE - TWILIGHT 3 - ECLIPSE SET FOR 2010 RELEASE DATE

TWILIGHT 3 - ECLIPSE SET FOR 2010 RELEASE DATE

Eclipse, the third film in the Twilight series, is to be released in summer 2010, it has been announced.

Variety reports Summit Entertainment has given the go ahead for the as-yet-unfilmed sequel to be released on June 30th, 2010, a mere seven months after the second film in the franchise New Moon is released.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Twilight took $70.6 million (£48.5 million) when it opened in the US, a record haul for a female director, taking a total of $363 million (£249 million) worldwide.

Based on Stephenie Meyer's hugely successful series of novels, the film also topped the UK box office and made stars out of young actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

The pair are to return for New Moon, its sequel, which Chris Weitz will begin shooting shortly, after Hardwicke left the project, reportedly over script concerns.

Eclipse, which Melissa Rosenberg will adapt from the third book in Meyer's saga, sees the lead characters of vampire Edward Cullen and human Bella Swan attempting to unravel the truth behind a series of murders for which they believe a vampire is responsible.