The original Twilight director suggested Jenna Ortega could play Bella Swan in the upcoming reboot series, a casting choice that would solve a major issue with the original film. Twilight was the 2008 film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s book of the same name, the first in a four-book series. Twilight tells the story of a teenage girl named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with an alluring vampire named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). All four books in the Twilight series were adapted for the screen as part of The Twilight Saga. The last film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, premiered in 2012.
In April 2023, it was announced that a Twilight reboot is in the works, this time as a TV series. While there is no news yet about casting for the Twilight reboot, the director of the original franchise has thoughts on which actors should play the two lead roles. Catherine Hardwicke, who helmed the first Twilight film, was recently asked by Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz who the Twilight director would cast as Bella and Edward in a Twilight reboot. Although Hardwicke isn’t involved in the Twilight reboot TV series, she revealed that her picks would be Saltburn actor Jacob Elordi and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega.
Jenna Ortega Has Too Much Personality To Be Bella Swan (& That’s A Good Thing)
Ortega would be great in a Twilight reboot, but it might be hard to see the vision at first — at least for Bella. In the past, Ortega has often played characters with a lot more personality and flair than Bella. While her performance as the titular role on Wednesday may be deadpan and sarcastic, the character is still strong-willed and delightfully unique. By contrast, Twilight’s Bella is described as very plain and passive. In fact, a key element to Edward and Bella’s dynamic is that Bella is just an ordinary girl.
Bella isn’t meant to be a striking beauty or have much of a dazzling personality, which makes Edward’s fascination with her that much more puzzling yet intriguing. It’s difficult to imagine Ortega pulling off a character that isn’t meant to stand out given her magnetic presence onscreen. However, this juxtaposition between Ortega’s past performances and Bella’s character in Twilight is precisely why she should play Bella in a Twilight reboot. Ortega could bring a spark to Bella that isn’t present in the books or Kristen Stewart’s iteration in The Twilight Saga.
Casting Jenna Ortega Can Fix Twilight’s Biggest Bella Complaint 15 Years Late
Twilight was hugely successful and extremely popular, particularly among young girls. Its popularity cannot be overstated, but it was also heavily mocked for a myriad of reasons, one of them being how bland Bella’s character was. Stewart’s performance got some flack, but the actor can’t take the blame. The character was depicted quite similarly to how she was written in the book, but the original adaptation’s accuracy to the source material wasn’t necessarily a good thing in this regard.
Because the Twilight books were told through Bella’s point of view, the reader was able to get to know her through her internal monologue as opposed to her interactions with others. Her narration in the books revealed parts of her personality that went unnoticed by most of the other characters. However, the films didn’t have this same benefit, which meant that Bella ended up coming across as quite boring on-screen. Bella didn’t translate well in The Twilight Saga because her inner thoughts weren’t accessible to the viewer like they were on paper.
It would help if more of Bella’s character from the book was able to come through in the Twilight reboot, both in the script and the actor’s performance. Of course, the reboot doesn’t have to turn her into a charismatic goddess all of a sudden, but giving Bella a bit more personality would make her more interesting to watch and easier to root for, without sacrificing the element of mystery behind Edward’s interest in her. If Ortega played Bella in the Twilight reboot series, she could give the character the personality and charm that was missing from The Twilight Saga.
Jenna Ortega Could Help Twilight Land For A New Generation
Ortega playing Bella — along with writing the character better — wouldn’t just improve the Twilight reboot as a whole; it would also help the series appeal to modern audiences. In fact, Ortega’s casting as Bella could accomplish this simply because of who she is. As one of the biggest young Hollywood stars right now, Ortega’s name would bring even more attention to the Twilight reboot from younger kids who may have been too young to participate in the Twilight craze the first time around. Ortega’s star power could draw younger audiences in and help turn them into modern-day “Twihards.”
Ortega also has experience playing opposite paranormal beings onscreen. On Wednesday, Ortega’s character is surrounded by various supernatural species at Nevermore Academy, including vampires, werewolves, and many more. As a fellow outcast, Wednesday herself has special powers, though she is not considered supernatural herself, just like Bella for the majority of The Twilight Saga.
If Twilight Doesn’t Cast Jenna Ortega, It Should Look For Someone Similar
Ortega would be a great pick for Bella in the Twilight reboot series, but unfortunately, this casting may just be a pipe dream. Though she is no longer returning for Scream VII, Ortega is booked and busy with six upcoming projects under her belt. Between filming Wednesday season 2 in the coming months and starring in Beetlejuice 2 next year, Ortega is in high demand right now and may not have time to star in the Twilight reboot series, assuming she’d even be interested.
Even if Ortega isn’t available or interested, the Twilight reboot series should still cast an actor like her to play Bella. Before Stewart landed the role, A-list actors like Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson also auditioned for Bella in Twilight before they made it big. While these two have aged out of the character by now, they’re great examples of the kinds of actors that should be considered for the role of Bella in the Twilight reboot.
