Twilight’s animated TV series has been confirmed to be released on Netflix, and with that came the announcement of the book it will cover – and I’m so relieved it’s an ignored but important book in the series. The world of vampires was never the same after the publication of Stephenie Meyer’s first novel,Twilight, though whether it was for good or bad will depend on who you ask. What’s true is thatTwilightbrought all the attention back to vampires and werewolves, and made way for a series of books and a saga of five movies.
Twilightfollows the (often toxic) romance between mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen, along with the many challenges they have to face – from other groups of vampires to werewolves and Bella’s mortality.The Twilight Saga, while successful and popular, has been heavily criticized for years, and now, over a decade after the release of the final movie, the franchise is coming back to life, though not in film.Twilightis getting an animated TV series remake, and it has been confirmed it will adapt the novelMidnight Sun, which is a huge relief.
Twilight’s Midnight Sun Novel Explained
Midnight Sun Arrived Years After Twilight
TheTwilightTV serieswas announced to be in development in 2023, and it was later revealed it would be an animated one. In September 2024, Netflix announced it will be the home of the newTwilightanimated TV series and that it will bebased on the novelMidnight Sun. TheTwilightbook series is formed byTwilight,NewMoon,Eclipse, andBreakingDawn, butMeyer continued to expand this world with other, complimentary works. First wasLife and Death, a gender-swapped retelling ofTwilightfollowing mortal Beau and vampire Edythe (yes, really. And Jacob is Jules.)
What makesMidnightSunso relevant is that it’s a retelling ofTwilightbut through Edward’s perspective.
In 2020, Meyer surprisedTwilightfans with the publishing ofMidnight Sun, which had been in development for years. In 2008, Meyer stopped working onMidnight Sunafter 12 chapters of the unfinished draft were leaked. Years later, Meyer picked it up again and finishedMidnight Sun, finally publishing it in 2020. What makesMidnightSunso relevant is that it’s a retelling ofTwilightbut through Edward’s perspective – and believe it or not,it offers some much-needed insight into his life, his relationship with Bella, his family, and his actions throughoutTwilight.
Why Midnight Sun Is Important In The Twilight Universe
Midnight Sun Brought Some Depth To The Twilight Universe
WhileMidnight Sunmight seem irrelevant for being a retelling ofTwilight, it actually adds to the story and solves a couple of plot holes and mysteries. I feel that, what’s most important aboutMidnight Sun, is thatit adds more to the character of Edward Cullen(though, again, whether it’s for the best or worst depends on the reader). Among the thingsMidnight Sunsolved waswhat happened to Edward when he left Forksfor a while, revealing he hid at the Denali National Park in Alaska with the Denali clan.
Twilight vs. Midnight Sun: Which Version Of The Story Is Better
Twilight and Midnight Sun tell the same story but with different narrators. So, which version of the story stands as the best? Let’s take a look.
Midnight Sunalso revealedEdward knew from the beginning that Bella would become a vampire someday, this thanks to his and Alice’s powers: Alice had a vision about it and Edward read her mind. However, Alice had two visions: one where Bella became a vampire and one where Edward killed her. Speaking of “the skin of a killer” that was Edward Cullen,Midnight Sunalso revealedEdward considered killing Bellawhen she sat next to him in biology class, but he would also have had to kill the teacher and classmates.
Midnight Sunadds more depth toTwilightby showing the other side of the story.
Midnight Sunalso had weirder and even funnier (I mean, it all depends on how you see it) reveals, most importantlywhat Edward did while watching Bella sleep– turns out that Edward is really good at catching spiders. In all seriousness,Midnight Sunadds more depth toTwilightby showing the other side of the story, which is pretty important as it’s not just Bella’s story but also Edward’s, andhow he dealt with the shock of falling for a mortal, just like Bella dealt with the shock of learning her crush was a vampire.
Can Netflix’s Midnight Sun Fix The Twilight Saga?
Netflix’s Twilight TV Show Has Some Big Challenges Ahead
As much as I would likeTwilightto have its redemption, I don’t really think it will be possible with theMidnight Sunanimated TV series unless some key changes are made. A lot has been said about how toxic and manipulative Edward Cullen was, and seeing the story from his perspective doesn’t fix that.Midnight Suncould go deeper into Edward’s mind, feelings, and unresolved traumaand see him actually making an effort to treat this and be a better person and partner, but it’s unclear how loyal Netflix will be to the novel or how much freedom it will be given.
If Netflix’sMidnight Sunstays loyal to the novel, don’t expect to see a wildly different Edward from the one in the books and movies.
WhatMidnight Sundefinitely can do to theTwilight Sagais adding the above-mentioned depth to Edward and the story ofTwilight. If Netflix’sMidnight Sunstays loyal to the novel, don’t expect to see a wildly different Edward from the one in the books and movies, but if it has creative freedom and uses it correctly, we could be about to meet a much better version of Edward Cullen.
Twilight
Twilight is a TV show reboot of the popular vampire film series that was based on Stephenie Meyer’s young-adult novels.
