“Oh, That Would Be Perfect”: Twilight Director Reveals Ideal 2023 Recasts Of Bella & Edward

Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke reveals her picks for a modern Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Stephenie Meyer’s hit vampire romance novel Twilight was adapted for the big screen in 2008, with Hardwicke as the director and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in the lead roles as the vampire Edward and his human love, Bella. The movie was a major box office success that kicked off a five-film franchise adapted from the book series and launched Stewart and Pattinson to stardom.
Hardwicke recently sat down with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast spinoff Watchalong to re-watch Twilight and discuss it. The director offered some insights into the casting process, revealing that Pattinson as Twilight’s Edward garnered some pushback from the studio initially. Among the many behind-the-scenes tidbits supplied by Hardwicke, she revealed her choices for Bella and Edward if Twilight were being made today. Read what Hardwicke had to say, and see the podcast below:

“Have you seen Saltburn yet? Yeah, Jacob Elordi, I mean, he’s amazing, he probably would be Edward today…I do think there’s a lot of really cool young actors…You just mentioned Jenna Ortega, she’s amazing. “

Ortega and Elordi have both enjoyed multifaceted and successful careers, with several popular films and television series under their belts. Known as a modern scream queen, Ortega proved her horror prowess time and again with films such as Scream (2022), Scream VI, and X. She delved even further into the supernatural with her titular role in Wednesday, in which her stoic, cynical, and fiercely loyal character displays some similarities to Bella.

Elordi first became a teen heartthrob due to his starring role in The Kissing Booth franchise, a status which was then cemented with his darker role in Euphoria. He has since branched away from the halls of fictional high schools with his roles in Priscilla and Saltburn, but many of his characters share a brooding quality that would fit Edward well. While both Ortega and Elordi have proven they have the talent and compatible traits to take on the roles of Bella and Edward, their performances would certainly differ from Stewart and Pattinson, which would result in a completely different take on the beloved first Twilight film.
Despite the enduring legacy of Stewart and Pattinson’s renditions of Bella and Edward, those characters will likely be recast in the upcoming Twilight television remake currently being developed by Lionsgate. With many exciting projects on the horizon, it’s unlikely that Ortega and Elordi will be taking on the roles of the fated lovebirds, but as Hardwicke states, there is no shortage of interesting and talented young actors today that could fill Stewart and Pattinson’s shoes. No matter who winds up playing Bella and Edward in the future, they will have Hardwicke, Stewart , and Pattinson to thank for paving the way for future franchise projects with the success of 2008’s Twilight.