The saying “everything old is new again” has always applied in Hollywood to some degree. But, in the age of streaming and the need to get some sort of advantage when it comes to pulling in eyeballs, those windows for something being “old” are getting shorter. Case in point, Lionsgate is getting ready to make a Twilight TV series, just shy of a decade after the YA film series about a vampire falling in love with a human came to a close. Make your peace with it, this is just the world we live in now.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate Television is in early development on a series adaptation of Stephenie Meyers’ best-selling books. Sinead Daly (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) is set to write the script. It has yet to be determined if this will be a retelling of the books - which feels likely - or a spin-off of some kind, expanding the scope of that universe. No network or streaming service is attached at this time, nor is there any word on potential casting. The project is described as being in its “infancy,” so it could be a little while before things truly get moving. Rest assured, though, barring the unexpected, this will almost certainly happen for somewhat obvious reasons.
As with anything in this business, this is commercially motivated. For one, the Twilight books have sold an eye-melting 160 million copies worldwide (give or take). So there is a massive audience for the saga of Bella the human and Edward the vampire, previously played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, respectively, in the movies. Speaking of the movies, the five movies made from Meyers’ books grossed a massive $3.3 billion at the box office, against combined budgets of $418 million. Or, to put it another way, the ticket sales were nearly eight times what Lionsgate spent to make the films. Not to mention what they made on Blu-ray/DVD sales, merch, etc.
Point being, in the age of streaming services hungry for content, a show like this will absolutely get made, and it could be a huge money-maker. Similarly, Warner Bros. Discovery recently announced a massive Harry Potter series that will adapt all of those books, spanning a full decade of television. Nostalgia is coming around quickly for these big properties, and, while a movie reboot might not make sense, diving deeper into the material with a TV series does make a bit more sense - for better or worse.
No word yet on when the Twilight TV show could debut, but it’s early days and we should be learning more in the coming months. Stay tuned.
