Beaks here...

Michael Sheen is already beloved by a certain segment of the geek community thanks to his portrayal of Lucian, leader of the Lycans, in all three UNDERWORLD movies, so it only makes sense that the TWILIGHT producers would recruit him to play Aro, leader of the Volturi, in NEW MOON. On one hand, you're playing to your base; on the other, you're getting a terrific actor who'll bring some much needed gravitas to the teen vampire saga.

According to the Daily Mail, you can thank NEW MOON director Chris Weitz for "aggressively" courting Sheen. Weitz, who's getting another shot at a fantasy franchise after failing to launch Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS series (with THE GOLDEN COMPASS), tells the British Tabloid that Sheen is ideal for a character who is both "friendly" and "a tremendous threat". Kind of like Curly Neal.

I know nothing of Aro (aside from the fact that he's Italian), but I do know that Sheen is incredibly respectful of fantasy material. Though it sounds like he's getting a decent payday for NEW MOON, this isn't slumming for him; he'll be as committed to Aro as he was to David Frost. TWILIGHT fans should be very pleased with this bit of casting. Right?