Despite the Twilight movies making major money at the global box office, fans are unlikely to see a new novel set in the fictional universe of the franchise any time soon. When author Stephenie Meyer began writing the Twilight novels, it is unlikely that the writer had any idea how big a saga she was giving rise to. Although the hysteria around the series died down since the final movie was released in 2012, at the height of its fame the Twilight franchise was a pop culture behemoth.
The series was so huge that even the superstar Vanessa Hudgens missed out on a role in a Twilight sequel, and the enduring popularity of the franchise’s stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson proves that Twilight had a bigger cultural impact than many critics credit it with. However, despite the popularity of the Twilight series, it is unlikely that Meyers will be adding any new novels to the franchise in the coming years. Speaking after the release of the Twilight retelling Midnight Sun (whose success was proof that the franchise remains popular to this day), Meyers made it clear that writing more Twilight is not on the cards in the near future.
While the bestselling author did say that she has at least two more planned novels set in the world of the Twilight franchise, she added “I am not ready to do that right now. I want to do something brand-new. For me, a lot of the joy of writing comes from creating, and I really want to do a new world and new rules and new mythology.” It is understandable that Meyers would be reticent about adding to the Twilight series, as the author created an immersive and deeply detailed fictional universe for the novels and provided lengthy backstories for characters both major and minor. As proven by the in-depth backstory of the Denali Coven, building Twilight’s mythology was an ambitious undertaking and one that the author understandably wanted time away from after its success.
In the wake of Midnight Sun’s success, some were surprised to discover that the author didn’t find it fun to return to the world of Twilight. However, Meyers was not shy about how much tough it was to write the retelling. She said that every word of the novel was a struggle for her, and even compared the process of writing Midnight Sun to life behind “prison bars.” As such, it is fair to guess that it will be a while before readers return to Forks with Meyers, and it’s unlikely that they will be doing so from Edward’s POV.
Luckily, the franchise has many smaller characters, from Twilight villain Marcus to the lone female shapeshifter Leah Clearwater, who could anchor interesting new additions to the mythos. The Twilight franchise’s many minor characters mean that Meyers could return to the world of the series without ever revisiting Bella, Edward, Jacob, and company, although whether fans would want this is open to debate. Only time will tell whether this is the route that the Twilight author will opt to take.
