Are you surprised? No, of course not! The Twilight Saga, that trend-setting YA trilogy adaptation that brought in a colossal $3.5 million worldwide, is not over yet. The most astonishing part of today’s news is that Lionsgate waited nearly two years since the last instalment’s release to announce a series reboot.
Before you get all uppity, retire that tirade you’ve been saving for the next Twilight fan you are cornered by at a cosplay event. You know, the one you’ve been working on about the franchise’s damning effects on young women and how it sets back feminism about a hundred years. Yes. Put a leash on that rhetoric, because today’s press release from the studio is actually a very refreshing read.
The new five-part film series, entitled The Storytellers – New Creative Voices Of The Twilight Saga, will be a co-operative effort between Lionsgate and Women In Film. The latter are a non-profit who aim to encourage women filmmakers in a climate where there’s a desperate shortage.
Series author, Stephenie Meyer, will select five female filmmakers to each create a short film based on a character from the wider Twilight universe.
“The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I’ve worked in the film industry,” said Meyer. “I’m honored to be working with Women in Film, Lionsgate and Facebook on a project dedicated to giving more women a chance to be heard creatively.”
During the process, each of the women will be mentored by a range of leading Hollywood female talent, including Kristen Stewart, Kate Winslet, Octavia Spencer, Julie Bowen, directors Jennifer Lee and Catherine Hardwicke, and Women in Film president Cathy Schulman.
The finished movies will then be published on Facebook sometime next year. Before then, fans have the opportunity to get involved in what’s shaping up to be an interactive film event. They’ll be a chance to vote, get sneak peaks and pick the grand prize winner.
While I’m not a huge fan of the series, this latest set of spinoffs in the pipeline are definitely a step in the right direction for Twilight. Opportunities heralded specifically for women means that we might be witnessing the film debut of a future big name director.
Tell us, are you excited by another jaunt into The Twilight Saga? Sound off below!