Twilight Making a Comeback With Short Films on Facebook—and Kristen Stewart Is Involved!
Twilight fans may pass out from this news, so proceed with caution.
It’s been two years since Twihards experienced the fifth and last installment of the Twilight Saga on the big screen, but it looks like they may just be reunited with their favorite vampires and werewolves…but on a smaller screen.
According to The New York Times, Lions Gate and author Stephenie Meyer announced today that they have plans to select five aspiring female directors to make short films based on Twilight characters. The mini-movies, financed by Lions Gate and its production partners, will be shown exclusively on Facebook next year.
“We think Facebook is a great way for us to introduce the world of Twilight to a whole new audience while re-energizing existing fans,” Michael Burns, Lions Gate’s vice chairman, said in an interview.
But what’s even better? Kristen Stewart will be part of the panel of women picking the aspiring directors!
The panelists also include Kate Winslet, Octavia Spencer, Julie Bowen, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, film producer Cathy Schulman and Frozen director Jennifer Lee.
“The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I’ve worked in the film industry,” Meyers said in a statement. The short film series, called The Storytellers—New Creative Voices of The Twilight Saga also has the backing of Women in Film, an organization devoted in part to ending a shortage of female directors.
“This is just the beginning—a template, if you will,” Burns added. “You can probably guess what might be coming next.”
Lionsgate and their partners will create and manage a social media campaign to develop and produce a series of short films directed by aspiring female filmmakers. The campaign, called “The Storytellers – New Creative Voices of The Twilight Saga,” will include films based on a broad spectrum of characters from the Twilight universe, with guidance provided by Meyer’s encyclopedic The Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide.
The campaign will center on a multiphase contest culminating in the selection of at least five aspiring female filmmakers to direct short films based on characters from the Twilight universe. The films will be produced and directed with the mentorship of a blue chip panel of advisors, which will ultimately select the winning shorts that will premiere exclusively on the Facebook platform next year. The star-studded group of female panelists will include Stephenie Meyer, actress Kristen Stewart, Academy Award winners Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Lee, the award-winning writer and one of the directors of Disney’s global blockbuster Frozen, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, Emmy Award-winning actress Julie Bowen, and Women In Film President Cathy Schulman.
Five winning shorts will be financed through production advances, and fans will help select a grand prize winning filmmaker who will receive a cash prize and career opportunities. The short film development and production process will involve extensive fan engagement on the Facebook and Tongal platforms.
