Yahoo Movies Should the Twilight film franchise be rebooted?
The original films were released from 2008 to 2012
Twilight became a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s when Stephenie Meyer's books first came out and again when the Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson-led movies were released from 2008 to 2012.
Now the 2008 film's director Catherine Hardwicke has shared who she believes would make a good fit for the franchise if it were to be rebooted, naming Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi as her choices for Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.
Read more: Anna Kendrick says making the 'Twilight' movies was like being in a 'hostage' situation
In April, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lionsgate Television was in the early stages of development for a Twilight TV series, with Meyer said to be involved in the series. But the question remains, should the Twilight franchise come back? Here, Yahoo examines the reasons why it should and shouldn't.
Should the Twilight franchise be rebooted?
The Twilight movie franchise consisted of five films, adapting Meyer's four books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn (which was split into two for the silver screen).
It followed teen Bella Swan's romance with vampire Edward, and the impact of their relationship on her family, her connection to friend (and werewolf) Jacob Black, and the Cullen family's quest to keep her safe from other vampires.
Hardwicke reflected on the possibility of who she'd cast in a new version of Twilight during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, agreeing with host Josh Horowitz when he brought up names like Elordi and Ortega.
The filmmaker said, "oh, that would be perfect" and added that she felt Elordi was "amazing" and "he probably would be Edward today."
She went on: "It would’ve changed anyone’s life if they got that part, ... I do think there’s a lot of really cool young actors today. Of course, you just mentioned Jenna Ortega, she’s amazing."
Why a Twilight reboot could work
Hollywood has a long history of rebooting beloved franchises in some way or other over the years, and Twilight wouldn't be the first teen project to be recreated again.
It made megastars of Stewart, Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner (who played Jacob), and made a huge profit at the box office. Breaking Dawn Part 2 was the highest-grossing film of the franchise, and earned over $829m (£656m) worldwide upon its release.
The issue with Twilight being rebooted again is that it hasn't been that long since the original films were released, the final film in the franchise came out to huge fanfare in 2012.
With that being said, though, it isn't like that is too soon to reboot a franchise in Hollywood anymore, just look at Harry Potter. The original films ended in 2011, and HBO has already confirmed that it will be creating a TV series re-adapting JK Rowling's books for a new generation.
If Hollywood can do a reboot with, arguably, the biggest teen franchise in the world, why couldn't it do the same for Twilight? And if reports are to be believed then it might not be long before it does.
Will Midnight Sun be adapted into a film?
An easy way to reboot the Twilight franchise is to adapt the one book by Meyer that hasn't been brought to the silver screen: Midnight Sun.
Published in 2020, Midnight Sun retells the story of Meyer's first book from Edward's point-of-view and was hugely popular amongst fans of the franchise.
While Midnight Sun is the only book in the series that Meyer has said she intended to write from the vampire's perspective, it gives the opportunity for Hollywood to revisit the franchise and do something new, and something that fans would enjoy seeing.
Why a Twilight reboot may not work
Were the Twilight film franchise to be rebooted that isn't a guarantee that it will do well, there is an argument to be had that bringing the franchise back would show a lack of originality in Hollywood.
A constant stream of reboots, revamps and sequels for films and TV alike have become something of a norm in the entertainment industry.
Sometimes it works (like with Netflix's Wednesday) and sometimes it doesn't (like with Charlie's Angels), and that will simply be the risk that Hollywood will have to take if it chooses to revisit Twilight.
The Twilight film franchise is available to stream on Prime Video.
Watch a trailer for Twlight:
