Stephenie Meyer & Kristen Stewart Discuss ‘Twilight’ Sequel Possibilities

Fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight films (and books) are in for a bittersweet holiday season – when the Twilight Saga’s final film installment, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, opens in theaters on November 16th, 2012. While some moviegoers consider the Twilight series an affront to quality cinema, the films have continually challenged box office records and brought in over $1 billion total so far in theaters.

Amidst reports of a possible series reboot, Meyer and franchise star Kristen Stewart spoke out about their feelings on potential Twilight reimaginings as well as spin-offs – most notably where the author might take the story in a possible book (and film) sequel.

Franchise leading man, Robert Pattinson, was the first to field a question about a potential Twilight reboot:

“I think it would be amazing. I would love to see that. I pity the person who would take over my role [joking about the criticisms the young actors faced themselves].“

Stewart followed up by asserting that she’s ready to see the Twilight saga come to a conclusion – unless Meyer has a good idea for further non-Bella-centric installments:

“What’s really great about this film, about turning that last page is that you have a thing that’s done and they can have it now. I feel like this is just an insider’s perspective but I played her. But if anything else happened, I’m like, please leave them [Bella and Edward] alone. They figured it out, leave them and by the end of the movie it’s so abundantly satisfying and sweet and ideal. It feels good. Like it should end. But Steph [if there is another one] I’m down. I’d be open to the idea, I’d be really interested in hearing what it was.”

Before showing off footage for her other supernatural young adult book-turned-movie, The Host, at the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Comic-Con panel in Hall H, Meyer expanded on Stewart’s comments and offered up her own tongue-in-cheek timeline for new Twilight saga installments (or franchise reboots):

“It would be really interesting in 20 years. That’s good. But I do pity the person who tries to step into these roles because it might not go well for them, I imagine, because this is what is loved [indicating toward the cast]. It wouldn’t be the same. It’d be interesting to explore.

Bella’s story is definitely told. Like [Kristen] said, it’s final. Back in the day when I was never going to stop writing about vampires, there’s a reason why this lovely lady (Mackenzie Foy playing Renesmee) was created. It wasn’t just I wanted Bella to have a baby, I was creating another one. But yah, 20 years, 20 years.”

The notion of a Renesmee-focused story shouldn’t come as a surprise to a lot of Twi-hard fans who hoped that Meyer might continue the Cullen-family story – without causing further trouble for the fan-favorite Bella/Edward pair. A Renesmee plotline, especially one that comes to theaters 20 years later (though don’t expect it to actually take that long), could prove extremely profitable for Lionsgate – since it could cull both older fans as well as newly indoctrinated Twilight lovers (who were too young to take part in the current craze). Of course, a future-set storyline would also allow for Stewart and Pattinson to return somewhere down the line.

Either way, the news is by no means confirmation that Meyer will ever revisit the series (or that a reboot will be greenlit anytime soon) – and merely, for the time being, serves as an interesting peek inside the minds of the author and actors that have made the series such a phenomenon. However, should the studio actually move forward with any of these ideas, fan response will without question be mixed. Plenty of passionate Twilight supporters could be excited to see the story continue but, at the same time, others are definitely ready to see the franchise come to a close in as Stewart put it, an “abundantly satisfying” conclusion – albeit a bittersweet one.

We’ll keep you posted on further Twilight developments but don’t hold your breath for Pattinson’s Twilight sequel pitch: “What if Bella and Edward get divorced and it was kind of a Mr. and Mrs. Smith thing?”

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