In trailers and photos, we've already seen some of what "New Moon" has in store for Twilighters thirsting for a big-screen vampire fix: There'll be a more muscle-y Taylor Lautner, as well as Kristen Stewart's Bella Swan struggling to adjust to life in Forks, Washington, without her beloved Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
Now we get to check out the Volturi, those powerful bloodsuckers based in the ancient Italian city of Volterra who have become a sort of royal governing authority in the vampire world, delivering swift, violent justice to anyone who threatens their way of life.
These vampires, director Chris Weitz explained in comments released by studio Summit Entertainment, possess "a kind of a tactile reality to them, in spite of how bizarre their situation is, really. The whole point is not to leave Forks, Washington, where everything has really been quite realistic, and then suddenly go to a location that completely throws you out of the movie. And the set, although it's huge and grand and magnificent, actually feels like a real place."
With all this in mind, let's meet the new "New Moon" vampires.
Jane (Dakota Fanning)
She's a ruthless little one, but in her defense, she had a rough go of it in the days before she was turned into a vampire. Humans thought she and her brother, Alec, were actually witches and decided to burn them alive. The Volturi, who were biding their time before transforming Jane and her bro, were compelled to act earlier than planned. So while Jane may look young, she's actually been around for a while and maintains a powerful place in the Volturi ranks. Her special ability is to inflict incapacitating pain with her thoughts — a skill she developed after being burned at the stake.
"She's innocent-looking in appearance but she's absolutely deadly," Weitz said.
Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower)
You don't want to mess with this member of the Volturi coven. Turned around 1300 B.C., Caius is mercilessly cruel. One of the three leaders, he's gunning to exterminate Edward, Bella and Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene), but Volturi founder Aro decides that isn't the best course of action.
Alec (Cameron Bright)
Brother to Jane, Alec has risen to become one of the Volturi Guard. As with his sister, it's unknown when he was transformed, nor exactly how old he truly is. What is known is that both siblings are invaluable to the Volturi: Since joining the coven, the group rarely has to engage in actual fighting — the siblings' skills allow for the outright slaughter of their enemies.
Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl)
The first pic of Marcus is creepy, creepy, creepy — the thin, red lips, the hands stretching out toward the camera. Since the death of his wife, Marcus has become detached from the rest of the Volturi leadership. Turned at about 1300 B.C., he's developed almost zombie-like characteristics and is completely apathetic. Yet he maintains the special ability to perceive the strength of a relationship between two people. In this way, he is well aware of the intensity of Edward and Ella's connection.
Aro (Michael Sheen)
The founder of the coven and its de facto leader, Aro possesses the ability to read a person's thoughts simply by touching them. Unfortunately for him, this supernatural skill doesn't work on Bella.
"[A]fter 2,000 years you'd probably be more than mildly insane," Weitz said. "No matter how cultured or gracious you appear on the surface. And I think that's what Michael Sheen managed to portray as Aro, the head of the Volturi — on the surface he's terribly gracious, warm, a wonderful host, and at the same time he's lethal and frightening."
Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."
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