Gen Z will never understand the cultural phenomenon that was Twilight

A new, animated version of the series is coming, told from Edward’s perspective and not Bella’s. But former superfan Emma Clarke is nervous they’ll ruin the story she loved in an attempt to capture a younger audience...

There’s a new animated Twilight series coming to Netflix (Summit Entertainment)

I’ll be honest: I don’t know how I feel about the new Twilight series coming to Netflix. As a huge fan of Stephenie Meyer’s saga (both the books and the movies), I should (in theory) be jumping for joy. But there’s something a bit... naff about it. Hear me out.

Much as I loved the originals, there’s just something offputting about the concept of an animated Edward Cullen – how are they going to demonstrate his ridiculously glittery torso?! But that’s just one of the problems I have with the revamping of the once-beloved vampire series.

That’s not to say that a big part of me doesn’t miss that world. The small, gloomy, very damp town of Forks, Washington... Bella Swan hurting herself on literally everything... her dad Charlie grumbling about having to eat vegetables... Jacob Black whipping his top off every two seconds for absolutely no reason... their weird CGI baby, Renesmee...

Like many women my age, it was a massive part of my formative years. “Hoa-hoa-hoa” was the unofficial soundtrack to my life. I devoured the books within a matter of days and they were ridiculously dog-eared by the time I was through. I got preview tickets for every new movie and often went to the cinema more than once. I even had a gigantic poster on my bedroom wall and a Team Jacob T-shirt with the words, “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf” (yes, really) written on it.

But I can’t help but feel that, not only was it very much of its time, there is also no need to keep rehashing things from the past. I’ve lost count of how many spin-offs and Disney live action remakes there have been of late. Even last week, the new Beetlejuice movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, hit the silver screen. Can we not come up with new material?

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the latest spin-off to hit our screens (AP)

I get it – this new series will actually be based on the Midnight Sun book (which, unlike the rest, is told from Edward’s perspective and not Bella’s). But it is still a variation of the same theme – a theme that, to me at least, feels a bit dated in 2024. Haven’t we had enough of vampires by now?

There’s also the animated element of this new series to negotiate. Twilight is for teens, yes, but it’s not childlike. Watching a cartoon version of Edward and Bella’s love story – complete with 2D kisses and sex scenes – feels embarrassing; even slightly inappropriate.

I wish – for Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s sake – there was a brand new franchise of this level for people to get their fangs stuck into. Something fresh and different and exciting – rather than treading over our old ground. I find it sad that younger generations have not really experienced this kind of cultural phenomenon in the way that we millennials did (and no, High School Musical doesn’t count).

At the time, it was quite literally the biggest thing on the planet. And for teenage girls like me, it was an emotional (as well as sexual) awakening.

I’m telling you: Edward’s deranged, pained expression every time Bella so much as walked past him stirred up all kinds of feelings in us tweens; let alone when he called her his “own personal brand of heroin” (a bit grim, admittedly – it was also the first time I experienced what is now referred to as “the ick”, when Edward asked Bella to climb onto his back and called her his “spider monkey”).

I guess what I’m trying to say is; Twilight was – and still is – fantastic in its own right. It very much deserved the praise (well, attention) it got at the time and it will always be held in high regard by fans (if not R Patz). We also love a bit of nostalgia from time to time – but, I would argue, that’s what the originals are on Netflix for.

Ultimately, wouldn’t it be far better to create something new and equally as impactful? I, for one, believe so.