Twilight fans, rejoice: everyone’s favorite vampiric franchise is stepping back into the light. According to Variety, a new animated series based on the popular Twilight companion novel Midnight Sun has just received a straight-to-series order on Netflix.
This spin-off companion to the original Twilight has felt ripe for an onscreen adaptation ever since it was first published by Stephanie Meyer in 2020. Midnight Sun presents readers with the same plot as the original 2005 book Twilight, but with a twist: it is told from the perspective of Bella Swan’s infamous love interest Edward Cullen. A TV series based on the Twilight novels was confirmed to be developing at Lionsgate as early as April 2023, with a follow-up announcement revealing that this adaptation would be an animated series in March 2024. This is the first time that the material being adapted was explicitly mentioned to be Midnight Sun.
While any cast members for the show have yet to be announced, it seems that a strong crew has already assembled behind the project in preparation for its life on Netflix. Stepping into the role of both executive producer and writer will be Sinead Daly, whose previous screenplay credits include the 2022 drama Tell Me Lies, the true crime adaptation Dirty John, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Meyer will oversee the series as an executive producer alongside Picturestart and Temple Hill Entertainment, the company behind the original Twilight film franchise.
How Is ‘Midnight Sun’ Different From ‘Twilight’
Twilight‘s original protagonist Bella Swan spends much of the first series installment in a perpetual state of mystery over Edward Cullen. Driven to understand her compelling fellow student’s background, she becomes a detective of sorts, uncovering lost knowledge about Edward’s past and the existence of the ‘Cold Ones.’ However, because Midnight Sun unfolds entirely through the eyes of Edward, the story of the original Twilight somewhat loses the original element of mystery. Instead, readers are greeted with the facts of Edward’s past and inner life from the start, as well as some tantalizing extra scenes that occur outside of Bella’s perspective and offer Twilight fans some never-before-seen content.
No matter what Netflix’s Midnight Sun adaptation may look like, its status as an animated show will likely help it to stand out from the franchise that spawned it. The show will probably explore some of the same themes of the book it is based on, asking compelling questions such as: is it possible to love someone when you know you’re leading them into danger? And even if love is dangerous, does that make it any less powerful or real? While fans may have to wait a while to know the answers to these questions, they can take comfort in the fact that more details about the Midnight Sun adaptation are likely to arise over the coming year — and that this anticipated series officially has a streaming home.
