EDWARD CULLEN’S TWILIGHT
Stephanie Meyer's New Book Midnight Sun
Twilight fans, mark August 4 on your calendars, as it is the newly announced publication date for Stephanie Meyer‘s Midnight Sun, her long-anticipated supplement to the Twilight Saga.
Midnight Sun follows the plot from the first installment in the series from the perspective of vampire Edward Cullen. This novel has been in the works since before Twilight became a global phenomenon with its 2008 film adaptation starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
However, that same year, spoilers from the unpublished manuscript were leaked online and Meyer decided to pause to allow the world to forget about Twilight for a moment.
Of course, with the boom in streaming video, not to mention Stewart and Pattinson’s blossoming post-Twilight careers—Stewart leading blockbusters, Pattinson, the ultimate A24 indie darling—the series is as popular as ever. Fans flocked to Meyer’s announcement on her website, which was followed by an appearance on Good Morning America.
Appearing on GMA via webcam, as has become the norm, Meyer said that she “wasn’t sure if this was the right time to put this book out,” but acknowledged that fans have been clamoring for this reinterpretation of their favorite vampire love story for 12 years. Amidst all the COVID-19 uncertainty, Meyer wishes that “hopefully, this book can be a distraction from the real world.”
What does this mean in terms of new Twilight movies? It’s hard to say. For one thing, even if they still looked like teens, Stewart and Pattinson appear to have left Twilight permanently behind them. “Nobody hates Twilight like Robert Pattinson” has long been a meme.
E.L. James’ Grey, a novel which retells Fifty Shades from the point of view of BDSM enthusiast Christian Grey, has not gotten a big screen adaptation despite the series’ box office success. Fifty Shades, of course, began as a fanfiction adaptation of Meyer’s characters.
Though Edward Cullen remains a popular character, this will be the first time his perspective is portrayed in the novels. Previously, POV characters in the Twilight Saga included Bella (played by Stewart), werewolf and rival love interest Jacob and the gender-swap “Beaufort” from the poorly received Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined.
This novel is a “what-if” retelling where Edward (“Edythe”) is a female vampire who pursues a male Bella. Though fans were unimpressed with the perceived lazy cash grab, that novel’s reception hasn’t affected the fervor for Midnight Sun.
Among the few people who’ve already read portions of the upcoming novel? Robert Pattinson used it to get into character on the set of the first Twilight film. He has yet to comment on the news of Midnight Sun‘s release.
