Will We Ever Get A Sequel To The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn?
Despite the original "Twilight" movie series ending in 2012, the romantic story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, as played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, is still extremely popular with people of all ages. Based on the bestselling book series by author Stephenie Meyer, which became a worldwide phenomenon when they came out in the mid-to-late 2000s, the "Twilight" movies began with the first film in 2008, followed by "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in 2009, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" in 2010, and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" released in 2011 and 2012.
Now in 2021, the films are still gaining new fans and making plenty of money, with the franchise collecting over $1,363,000,000 and counting (Box Office Mojo). So why wouldn't Meyer and the franchise's new owner, Lionsgate, who bought Summit Entertainment in 2012 as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, want to make more "Twilight" films? Well, aside from the money making potential, there are a few important factors that go into the possibility of more "The Twilight Saga" movies coming out after "Breaking Dawn," determining whether or not fans will get to explore the world of Bella and Edward again.
Would the original cast return for a direct sequel?
Around the time that the last film came out, the vampire craze was finally dying down, and the main cast wanted to move on to different projects. Since 2012, it's safe to say that everyone involved with "The Twilight Saga" has gone on to do very different things, with many cast members purposely distancing themselves from the famous teen romance series. With Stewart, she has proven herself to be an extremely capable actress through indie films, with major performances in "Still Alice," "Certain Women," and "Seberg," to name a few. In a 2018 interview with ET Canada, Stewart was asked if she would ever return to the "Twilight" franchise, and while at first she joked that she would love to, it quickly became clear that she sees that period of her life as a part of her past, not her future.
Like his co-star, Pattinson has made his talent for acting very clear, especially recently. He starred Robert Eggers' film "The Lighthouse" in 2019, Christopher Nolan's latest film "Tenet," and will play the title character in Matt Reeves' upcoming DC movie, "The Batman." While the actor is well-known for hating the "Twilight" movies while he made them and afterwards, it appears that he has recently changed his tune. Chatting with USA Today in 2019, Pattinson commented on the legacy of "Twilight," stating that without the anxiety of the intense fame he had at the time, the experience is "just very warm memories," also noting that there's been "a fascinating second wave of people appreciating ['Twilight'], which is kind of cool." But even with his more positive take his famous role, Pattinson is quite busy these days, and it seems unlikely that he would return for a new film even if the opportunity came up. Of course, never say never, so we will have to see what happens.
Are there more books that could be adapted?
The other main question about a possible sequel film is if there is even a story to adapt. If fans want a direct sequel to "Breaking Dawn," this would require either Meyer or a screenwriter to imagine the next stage of Bella and Edward's story, as there have no more novels released that continue their story. This could be an interesting opportunity, but given that Stewart, Pattinson, and the rest of the original cast are unlikely to return, there would need to be new characters cast in the familiar roles, which would feel odd for longtime fans of the franchise.
But what if one of the companion novels was adapted? Most recently, Meyer finally published the book "Midnight Sun," which retells the story of the first book, "Twilight," from Edward's point of view. The novel originally got leaked in 2008, which led Meyer to decide against publication, until now. While the long-awaited 2020 release of "Midnight Sun" is an exciting update, especially for fans who were around when the book was leaked and wanted to read the whole thing, a movie version would pretty much be "Twilight" all over again, but with a bit more of the Cullens. Unlike with novels, it's hard to make a movie completely from one character's point of view, and "The Twilight Saga" already explores Edward's perspective in ways that the books don't.
Meyer's other companion books present new possibilities
There's also "Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined," a 2015 book that is a gender-swapped retelling of Bella and Edward's romance, focusing on the characters of Beau Swan and Edythe Cullen. Like "Midnight Sun," the storyline would be almost exactly the same as the first film with a few minor details changed here and there, but we'd bet a lot of money that "Twilight" fans would love to see Beau and Edythe's story on the big screen. Even just considering the earning potential of making another film in the franchise, it seems like almost a waste that Lionsgate hasn't expanded upon Bella and Edward's universe in any way.
The last option is the 2010 novella, "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner," which follows newly-turned vampire Bree from shortly after her transformation to her death in the third book, "Eclipse," from her point of view. Played by Jodelle Ferland in the third film, Bree is a very compelling character, and it would be intriguing to see a companion movie expanding on a minor character from the original films.
Overall, the chances of a sequel or companion "Twilight" film are slim, but there are still a few possibilities for how fans could revisit the iconic supernatural world of Forks, Washington, if we're lucky.