While it sucks to lend too much credence to unsubstantiated rumor, some times the story is simply too fun, and too big, to totally ignore. This weekend saw one that gave me plenty to snicker over for awhile, as it involves the ever rabid Twi-Hards and their beloved Twilight franchise. BloodyDisgusting turned up with a rumor that Lionsgate, the parent company to Summit Entertainment, was considering rebooting the $2B series before the final chapter even hits theaters on November 16th.
"It is still undecided exactly what the future of the franchise will be, though. It could be a direct remake, considering the initial saga is so poorly made, but then again it could also be a spinoff or maybe even a one-off sequel. It could be anything to keep the green bills piling high. But expect a remake. Yes, quickly."
This set the internet on fire for the last couple of days, and the site took all the requisite cannon fire you'd expect when dropping a bombshell like this, but they seemed to know it'd be coming...
"They’ll deny it, right here, right now. We’ll get plenty of eggs in our face. Sites will burn us at the stake like a witch during the Salem trials. Still, the fact will remain: it’s true"
And they were exactly right. Within hours, Lionsgate reps had spoken to Deadline on the rumor, and denied the report, although they left themselves PLENTY of wiggle room. Co-chairman Rob Friedman had this to say...
Friedman: ”We are not remaking Twilight. We will happily support Stephanie Meyer if she decides to proceed in any way. But this will be the last one unless that should change.”
Of course he's going to say that. Take the pressure off of them, and put it all on Meyer, who ultimately controls what happens with her franchise. What's been fun to watch has been the mixed emotions of the Twilight fanbase, who are sorta kinda disgusted that they would reboot so quickly, and yet they don't want it to ever end. Ohhh, ripped apart at the seams!
Here's the thing: This isn't really new information. It was back in January that word started to leak out that Lionsgate, who had just bought Summit Entertainment, were already looking into ways to extend the Twilight lifecycle. Here's the quote from Lionsgate's Jon Feltheimer...
Feltheimer: "I'm anticipating 'Breaking Dawn Part 2' being $700 million-plus in worldwide box office. It's hard for me to imagine a movie that does $700 million-plus doesn't have ongoing value. It's an amazing franchise that they have done a great job of maintaining with absolutely no deterioration. So the simple answer is 'Boy I hope so.'"
Did people think he was joking? This is about dollars,and Lionsgate knows where the bulk of their green comes from. Having both The Hunger Games and a continuing Twilight franchise would line a lot of pockets with cash, and that is the bottom line. I don't think they'll necessarily do a reboot, because Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner are so much a part of Twilight's success. A film that extends the story isn't out of the question, however. If the three principle stars don't want to return, don't be surprised to see other, lesser explored characters stepping into the spotlight. And then there's always that talk we heard of a potential Twilight TV series.
Ultimately, it's up to Meyer. I think we'll start hearing increased rumblings on something developing sooner than people expect.
What do you think? Would you want to see a Twilight reboot? Or see the franchise continue in some way?
