It's no secret that no matter what Summit Entertainment says publicly, a movie version of Stephenie Meyer'' final "Twilight" novel, "Breaking Dawn," is going to happen.  The question is who will direct it?

Reports have already surfaced that Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), Sophia Coppola ("Lost in Translation") and Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls") are in serious contention, but now a new candidate can be added to the list:  Stephen Daldry.

The Brit may not be as well known as his American counterparts, but chances are you've already seen one of his movies.  Daldry broke through on the world cinematic scene with the much beloved "Billy Elliott" in 2000.  He then shepherded Nicole Kidman's Academy Award winning performance in "The Hours" and Kate Winslet's Best Actress win last year for "The Reader."  Both "The Hours" and "The Reader" were also nominated for Best Picture.  However, what's more astonishing i that Daldry was nominated for Best Director for all three films.  Among the announced candidates so far, only Condon trumps Daldry in pedigree having actually won an Oscar for his screenplay for "Gods and Monsters."

Word is there are other candidates besides those four, but it's unclear how far any of them have gotten through Summit's vetting process. 

"Breaking Dawn" is expected to begin shooting sometime this fall with stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner all back in the fold.

[Left, Dakota Fanning as Jane in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."  Jane should return with a prominent role in "Breaking Dawn."]