Are the Twilight movies — based on books that don't exactly qualify as sophisticated literature — trying to go upscale, art house?

Summit Entertainment's announcement that Dreamgirls director Bill Condon will direct the fourth and final installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn makes one wonder. Condon won an Academy Award for the screenplay of Gods and Monsters, a fictionalized biopic of homosexual filmmaker James Whale, which he also directed.

He also penned the screenplay for the musical hit Chicago and wrote and directed 2004's Kinsey about the iconic sex studies professor.

In an official announcement, Condon stated, "I'm very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of the saga to life onscreen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book — and we're hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience."

"I'm so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us," author Stephenie Meyer added. "I think he's going to be a great fit, and I'm excited to see what he does with the material."

A Gay Take?

With its heartthrob star Robert Pattinson, the Twilight flicks have always appealed to a set of distinct audiences — but Condon's resumé has Hollywood's gaydar going off at a fever pitch. So we were intrigued by Condon's "interview" in reelloop, an entertainment blog known for satire.

"There's always been a pretty gay element to the Twilight movies," Condon is quoted as saying. "It's hard to see all those fetishistic shows of the ripped, shirtless boys in New Moon and argue with that. I'm hoping to take it to the next level. The next level of gayness.

"I want to retain the basic elements that Stephenie Meyer included in Breaking Dawn. But I want to add many more gay elements. I haven't decided yet what those will be. Maybe everyone will have goatees."

The blog also quotes a "representative" from Summit as stating, "We know the Twilight movies are a huge hit with female audiences. We're hoping that by gaying up Breaking Dawn, we can break into a section of the male audience, too. Bill Condon is just the director to do that, and we're thrilled at the prospect of working with him."

(Relax, Edward Cullen devotees. It's a joke - although Pattinson has declared in the past that he detests vaginas.)

Revolving directors

Summit has kept fans interested by enlisting a different director for each Twilight installment. British music video mastermind David Slade is currently finishing the third movie, Eclipse, to be released in July.

The announcement puts to rest several months of speculation surrounding the position, with rumors directed at Gus Van Sant and Sofia Coppola. Questions remain about whether Breaking Dawn will be split into two movies, as is being done in the final installment of the Harry Potter series — a transparent ploy to draw as much cash as possible from the target teen audience.

We can assume that Condon will not be adding a gaygenda to the flick. Despite his respected pedigree, his characters make for strange bedfellows. Sure, he can make Beyoncé move, but can he handle moodier-than-thou Kristen Stewart?