Meet the Southern vampires of 'Twilight' as 'Eclipse' tells Jasper's human story

Meet the Southern vampires of 'Twilight' as 'Eclipse' tells Jasper's human story

Here comes the "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" Southern vampires! As promised, I’m introducing you to the beautiful, desirable, voracious neck-biting ladies who create Jasper; played by actor/musician Jackson Rathbone.

The film takes us back to civil war times to provide the back-story for Jasper’s character; giving the fans insight into just why Jasper has such a hard time resisting Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) blood whenever she so much as cuts her finger!



1. Catalina Sandino Moreno portrays Maria, the leader of the Southern vampires and creator of the biggest army in Mexico back in the 1800’s. Born in Columbia, the 29-year-old actress arrived in the U.S. in 2004 and immediately made her award-winning debut in "Maria Full of Grace," receiving an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category, the first South American to receive that honor.



2. Leah Gibson, a native of British Columbia, has been cast as Nettie, created by vampire Maria. Gibson developed a love of musical theater in high school and still performs locally when she isn’t doing film work. She has had roles in "The Cycle" starring Daryl Hannah and "The Watchmen" among others. She also appeared in the science-fiction drama "Caprica," the prequel series to Battlestar Gallactica.



3. Kirsten Prout portrays Lucy, another member of Maria’s coven. A native of Canada, Kirsten got her biggest break in Jennifer Garner’s 2005 film "Elektra" playing Abby. Her resume includes a lot of TV work including her long-term role as Amanda Bloom in the series "Kyle XY."

I’m pretty geeked to see how Summit Entertainment handles Jasper’s human story as a civil war soldier who has the misfortune to run into three angelic looking, pale young women one evening only to be set upon and transformed into a savage member of a vampire army. While the roles of the Southern vampires are very brief in the book, I’m expecting them to be beefed up for this key part of the film. Let’s hope we’re not disappointed!