First Look: End begins for ‘Twilight’

The movie: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1"

When: Opening at midnight at local theaters

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

Director: Bill Condon

The story: First comes love, then comes marriage, then come the Quileute and the Volturi, closing in on expectant parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.

The buzz: It's the beginning of the end for Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster "Twilight" saga, which reportedly ventured into R-rated territory for the honeymoon sex scene between human bride Bella and vampire groom Edward -- until it was toned down so the movie could hit theaters with an all-important PG-13 rating. And while director Bill Condon ("Chicago," "Dreamgirls") didn't write "Breaking Dawn's" script, he definitely knows his way around monster movies; after all, he won an Oscar for writing 1998's "Gods and Monsters," about the last days of "Frankenstein" director James Whale.

-- Carol Cling