Hear that increasingly loud thumping sound? That’s the collective heartbeat of females everywhere racing as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse approaches. The movie’s release is still several months away, but Twilighters of all sexes and species (human, werewolf, vampire, etc.) are already foaming at the mouth. Maybe you haven’t aligned yourself with Team Edward or Team Jacob. And maybe you haven’t kept up with every Eclipse detail. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In Eclipse, Bella Swan once again finds herself surrounded by danger as the city of Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she’s forced to choose between her love for Edward Cullen and her friendship with Jacob Black — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision she’s ever made: life or death.

The film began shooting in mid-August under the direction of David Slade (30 Days of Night, Hard Candy); he takes over the reigns from Chris Weitz. Slade worked from a script by returning scribe Melissa Rosenberg, which was of course based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book. Principle photography officially wrapped on October 29.

Several new actors are joining the Twilight family including Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria. Howard replaces actress Rachelle Lefevre who played the character in the previous movies. Also new are Xavier Samuel as Riley, Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria, Jack Huston as Royce King, Julia Jones as Leah, BooBoo Stewart as Seth, and Jodelle Ferland as Bree.

Continuing in the series as members of the Cullen family are Ashley Greene as Alice, Peter Facinelli as Carlisle, Elizabeth Reaser as Esme, Kellan Lutz as Emmett, Nikki Reed as Rosalie, and Jackson Rathbone as Jasper. Billy Burke also returns as Charlie Swan. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is filming on location in Vancouver, BC.

i>The Twilight Saga: Eclipse brings back members of the Quileute Indian Nation; the classmates of Bella and Edward; and the legendary Volturi, a venerable coven of vampires who weigh and impose the laws of the vampire world. A cast list for film appears at the end of this document.

Eclipse will be the first movie in the series to be presented in IMAX. So, if you’ve ever wanted to drink in the majestic sight of a five-story high Robert Pattinson, well… here’s your chance!

The fourth and final installment in the series, Breaking Dawn, may start shooting as early as this spring. Word on the street is that Summit is mulling splitting the flick into two parts.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits North American movie theaters on June 30, 2010.