Netflix is giving Edward Cullen two seasons to tell his side of the Twilight story.
According to a transcript provided by The Motley Fool, Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs confirmed during the company’s November 5 earnings call that the streamer has ordered two seasons of Midnight Sun, an adult animated series based on Stephenie Meyer’s 2020 novel.
Netflix first announced the adaptation in September 2024, outlining its premise and creative team. The two-season order is the biggest update since that announcement, but a remark about what Twilight fans want may reveal more about how Lionsgate sees the franchise.
Twilight From Edward Cullen’s Perspective
The original Twilight followed Bella Swan as she fell for a sparkly vampire whose behavior she struggled to understand. Midnight Sun revisits their first meeting and the events that follow through Edward’s eyes. He can hear nearly everyone’s thoughts, yet Bella’s mind is a mystery to him. The shift also gives the series room to spend more time with the Cullens and show what they were up to when Bella was elsewhere.
Beggs credited Meyer’s enthusiasm for animation with helping bring the adaptation to Netflix. Meyer is executive producing alongside her Fickle Fish Films partner Meghan Hibbett. Sinead Daly, whose credits include Tell Me Lies, is writing and executive producing. Beggs said Meyer and her team are working closely with Lionsgate and Netflix to shape the series.
Kristen Stewart in Twilight – HBO Max
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How the adaptation will divide the novel across two seasons remains an open question. A premiere date is still to come.
What Counts as “Authentic” Twilight?
During the call, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson said the Twilight audience is “desperate for more authentic content in that space.”
Fogelson was discussing Lionsgate’s relationship with Meyer and the possibility of more Twilight films. Beggs followed by describing how closely she’s involved with Midnight Sun. In that context, “authentic” seems to mean returning to Meyer’s books and giving her a hand in bringing them to the screen.
Malfoid – schmede_AI, YouTube
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The word takes on another meaning when fans can use generative AI to turn their own ideas into animated scenes. The Harry Potter-inspired Malfoid trend offers one example. An unofficial character became the subject of fan art and AI-generated clips that have gone viral online. The meme even appears to have made its way onto a U.S. Department of Education social media account.
Can Official Adaptations Hold Fans’ Attention?
Fans have been inventing characters and imagining missing scenes for decades. Generative AI gives them another way to put those ideas on screen and circulate them while audiences wait for the next official adaptation. Could a series with the original author closely involved help studios hold fans’ attention in that environment?
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson dance in Twilight – HBO Max
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Netflix announced Midnight Sun two years before the Malfoid trend took off, and Lionsgate’s executives tied the project to Meyer’s interest in animation and the audience’s appetite for more Twilight. The comparison raises a question about what an official adaptation can offer today. For Midnight Sun, that comes down to whether hearing Edward’s side changes how fans see a story they already know.
Are you looking forward to seeing Twilight from Edward’s perspective? Sound off and let us know!
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