We've already heard this morning that Maggie Grace is set to play Irina in **The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Now there's word that 9 year-old Mackenzie Foy is in talks to play Renesmee, a key figure in the story. If you're avoiding spoilers, read no further.
Renesmee is Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) daughter, conceived while the former is still human and therefore a weird human / vampire hybrid. Why the weird name? Well, because Bella decided to name her after both her grandmothers, Renee and Esme, and came up with that hybrid monstrosity (the name, not the girl).
And why are they casting a 9 year-old and not a, well, baby for the role? That's because Renesmee ages at a super-accelerated rate, which is good news for any werewolves who happen to imprint upon her as an infant (ugh).
Mackenzie Foy has previously appeared on US TV in FlashForward and 'Til Death, but apart from that is a newcomer to the biz. Then again, she was born in 2000 (feel old yet?) so she's got plenty of time. The filmmakers are talking about using The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-like technology in order to age her down as necessary for the precocious but fast-growing role.