Twilight saga reboot is slammed by social media users – as many call the franchise ‘toxic’
The Twilight saga reboot has been criticized by social media users – who have declared the franchise is ‘toxic’.
The vampire movie series, which was based on Stephenie Meyer’s best selling books, told the love story between American teen Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen and launched the careers of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
It emerged earlier this week that a Twilight television show ‘is in early development.’
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that a series version of Stephenie’s popular books is in the preliminary stage at Lionsgate Television.
However many online appeared outraged by the news, with one writing: ‘Good lord…WHY?!?
‘Do we really need to mess up Gen Z by romanticizing psychological/emotional abuse and glamourizing toxic teen relationships?
‘Being controlled for your “safety” is not “romantic. A creepy stalker is still creepy, no matter how cute he looks.’
Meanwhile another wrote: ‘This is so bad. As someone who hated Twilight book series and movies, why the studio wanted to make another adaptation of a badly written YA romance series that romanticized toxic relationships.
‘I fear for the worst.’
A third added: ‘Did you know that the Twilight movie is an example of a toxic relationship?
‘The way Edward is gaslighting Bella in the first movie, holy sh**, it almost made me want to throw up, and the way he tries to control Bella…
‘This movie should be shown in Psychology Lectures. Very interesting.’
A fourth commented: ‘Why do we even need to relive the Twilight toxic relationship trauma?’
‘Let’s get real for a second,’ another added. ‘I love rewatching Twilight for the nostalgia and a good laugh, but this story is badly written.
‘It promotes toxic relationships and a horrible image of women.
‘Please leave it where it belongs (the 2000s).’
The show does not have a network or a writer attached to it yet – the studio will ‘lead the development on the project before shopping the rights to the package.’
Furthermore, there is no specific time frame for when the series will be shopped around.
Lionsgate plans to find a writer to lead the show first.
Insiders also shared that Meyer is expected to be part of the production of the TV installment.
Wyck Godfrey and Erik Feig, former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-presidents, are both signed on to executive produce the new iteration.
While working at Summit Entertainment, Feig famously acquired the rights to the Twilight book series after Paramount Pictures passed.
Temple Hill produced the five blockbusters, which were distributed by Summit.
The franchise shot Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner to fame as it earned over $3.4 billion in worldwide sales.The news comes in the midst of Lionsgate’s negotiations with several bidders to ‘potentially spin off its studio business and premium cable network Starz by the end of September 2023,’ THR reported.
The business – consisting of film and TV production divisions – saw a 25 percent growth revenue, nearly reaching $900 million in the third quarter.
Twilight has solidified itself as a pop culture phenomenon with its five novels and five movie adaptations.
