Exclusive Interviews, Never-Before-Seen Photos, and Behind-the-Scenes Scoop

PLUS: EXCLUSIVE ECLIPSE FIRST LOOK!

(NEW YORK) – This week, PEOPLE publishes a special newsstand-only issue all about the Twilight sequel New Moon. The biggest day of the year for vampires is usually Halloween, but this fall it’s Nov. 20 – the debut of the film New Moon. For those who can’t wait, PEOPLE put together this special issue filled with exclusive on-set photos, interviews with the cast and a preview of all the suspenseful – and steamy – scenes in Twilight’s next chapter.

After Twilight raked in almost $200 million last year, producers quickly got the cast – including insta-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart – back together to film the next chapter of Bella Swan’s species-crossed love affair with Edward Cullen. “Twilight is about first love; New Moon is about heartbreak,” director Chris Weitz tells PEOPLE. “That requires the actors to go to some very dark places.”

New Moon “is the beginning of a love triangle,” says Taylor Lautner who plays Bella’s best friend and werewolf Jacob. “I get nervous trying to represent Team Jacob in the right way. This guy is some pretty good competition,” admitted Lautner (before a scene with Robert Pattinson). “The fans would love anybody who played Jacob. I’m just lucky to be the one who got the chance.” Thanks to flashbacks, “there is more Edward in the film,” says Weitz. “Viewers will see him more often than Bella sees him in the book.”

This special collector’s edition also takes a look at the chemistry between Kristen and Robert in both their professional and personal lives. Director-turned-matchmaker Catherine Hardwicke says that Pattinson and Stewart had sparks flying between them from the first “Action!” Everyone noticed the connection instantly – especially Pattinson himself. “When I read Twilight, and there are these moony descriptions of Edward as a godlike figure, I thought there was no way I could play him,” he recalls. “But when I got in the room with Kristen, there was a certain chemistry. She’s basically the reason I did the movie.” While filming Twilight, one romantic scene between Pattinson and Stewart told Hardwicke everything she needed to know. “When they were kissing,” she recalls with a smile, “Rob got a little passionate and fell off the bed!” Despite concerns about mixing love and work, the two finally succumbed to their feelings. “They’re genuine, and they’re very talented,” explains costar Ashley Greene of the common ground they share. “It’s like a secret potion that you can’t really pinpoint, but they both have it.”

PEOPLE also reports about all the hoopla surrounding the Twilight phenomenon – the screaming teens, the buzzing chat rooms, the collector dolls. Take it from Ashley Greene, the Twilight frenzy is out of control. “Kellan Lutz and I look at each other and go, ‘What is going on? This is so insane!’” says the actress who plays Alice. “It’s very different from anything that I’ve experienced. But the fans are so passionate. Seriously, this is the coolest job in the world with the best fans.” Craziest Twilight tie-in? Two adjacent corn mazes in Utah, expertly landscaped to spell out Team Edward and Team Jacob.

The cast is already filming part three of the saga, Eclipse, and hopes to begin work on part four, Breaking Dawn, in the not-too-distant future. “We’re all crossing our fingers, and we all want to finish the series,” says Lutz, who plays vampire Emmett Cullen. “And we want Stephenie [Meyer, author] to write more books if she could!”