Why Anna Kendrick’s Twilight Character Needs Justice in the Reboot?

News of a potential Twilight Saga reboot broke last April, and in our current reboot and spinoff-obsessed era, it’s no surprise Hollywood is looking to bring the series back from the dead (pun intended). Unsurprisingly, the news was met with mixed reception –some fans argue it’s too soon to bring back the franchise (the 5th and final movie in the series premiered in 2012) and others claiming this could be a redemption opportunity for the saga. If the creators lean into the latter, and hopefully they will , one way to do this would be to recreate the character of Jessica Stanley (played by Anna Kendrick in the film adaptations) and the portrayal of her and Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) friendship. Jessica is a character who is underutilized in both the books and the movies, neither of which provides her with any depth or nuance. She seemingly exists as a foil to Bella – to represent the life she could have had in Forks had she not gotten tangled up with the Cullen family and the supernatural world. But with the reboot, there is an opportunity to bring her into the heart of the story and provide a much-needed focus on female friendships.

Jessica Stanley is introduced in the first Twilight movie, during Bella Swan’s first day at Fork’s High School. Her movie character is actually an amalgamation of the book version of Jessica Stanley and her friend Lauren Mallory, who is not mentioned in the films. When new girl Bella immediately catches the eyes of the boys at school, Jessica takes Bella under her wing in hopes of sharing some of her spotlight. She makes little effort to cover her jealousy, making passive-aggressive comments like “Oh my god, it’s like the first grade all over again, you’re the shiny new toy…” when the boys, particularly Mike Newton, ostentatiously flirt with Bella in front of her. Despite this, she does make an effort of trying to include Bella in her friend group, inviting her to go surfing and shop for prom dresses despite Bella’s clear disinterest in both of those activities.