Back in 2008, “Twilight” hit the big screen and became a box office sensation. After the vampire romance books by author Stephanie Meyer became the next big young adult sensation alongside the Harry Potter franchise, a film adaptation of what came to be known as “The Twilight Saga” was inevitable. Cast in the lead roles were then-rising stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and their roles turned them into international superstars, especially after the two started dating in real life. Stewart played the timid Bella, who becomes entranced by a mysterious boy named Edward (Pattinson) after he miraculously saves her life a couple times. As it turns out, Edward is part of a vampire family who has ongoing beef with a clan of werewolves, one of which Bella has also befriends, creating a love triangle that only heightens the ongoing rivalry.
Director Catherine Hardwicke was tasked with bringing the first “Twilight” movie to life, so we have her to thank for turning Stewart and Pattinson into two of the most popular actors working today. Thankfully, not unlike Daniel Radcliffe’s success with the Harry Potter franchise, “The Twilight Saga” afforded Stewart and Pattinson the opportunity to take on whatever roles they wanted once it was over, allowing them to lead superb lower profile offerings like “Camp X-Ray” and “Good Times” (though the two would dabble in blockbuster fare again later with “Charlie’s Angels” and “The Batman”).
But if Hardwicke was casting “The Twilight Saga” today, which young stars would she put in the roles of Bella and Edward? The filmmaker addressed this very topic while appearing on a recent episode of the newly launched “Watchalong” podcast from “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz — and while the choices might seem obvious, it’s hard to argue with them.
Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi
During their conversation looking back at the original “Twilight” movie, Horowitz proposed pairing new “Scream” franchise member Jenna Ortega with “Kissing Booth” franchise star Jacob Elordi, who is making waves right now due to his performances in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.” Hardwicke agreed that Elordi and Ortega “would be perfect” as Edward and Bella. Hardwicke called both Ortega and Elordi “amazing” performers, though their careers are in much different places than Stewart and Pattinson at the time of their casting.
Both Elordi and Ortega are currently two of the biggest young stars in Hollywood, and both have the perfect demeanor for their respective characters. Elordi is handsome and can have both an intimidating and brooding presence when required. Meanwhile, Ortega has taken on a couple roles that feel reminiscent of Bella in “The Twilight Saga,” though that’s something that might make her be reluctant to take on a role like this if given the opportunity, and the same could be said for Elordi.
Ortega is already retreating from the “Scream” franchise, and she has another career hit in the form of Netflix’s “Wednesday” series, so taking on “Twilight” hardly seems necessary, though it would surely land her a big paycheck. As for Elordi, he’s recently expressed his struggles with being part of “The Kissing Booth” franchise, which almost drove him to quit acting, so he may not want to step into the high profile role of Edward, if that opportunity was ever on the table. After all, he turned down the chance to audition for James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy.”
As it stands, “Twilight” is currently being rebooted for TV, joining its fellow YA franchises “The Hunger Games” (which recently returned with the prequel “The Ballad of Songs and Snakes”) and “Harry Potter” (which is getting a full TV series reboot at Max) in staging a comeback. But will Ortega and Elordi even be options by the time it’s ready?
