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Stephenie Meyer Talks More About the Twilight Movie
April 10, 2008
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com, EW.com
by Kevin Powers
If you haven't already heard of Stephenie Meyer and her cult-following series "Twilight," you soon will. The collection of books ("Twilight," "New Moon," "Eclipse," and upcoming "Breaking Dawn") is a new kind of teen-lit that deals with romance, fantasy and interestingly vampires. "America's J.K. Rowling" sees her first novel in this saga released come December through director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown). The books have already done exceeding well - "Eclipse" actually knocked "Harry Potter" off the #1 spot on USA Today's bestseller list - and judging from comments by Robert Friedman, CEO of Summit Entertainment, we could be in for a real treat. "We always saw this as more of a Romeo and Juliet set in the very interesting world of vampires. The obvious success of the books, and what we knew to be the franchise potential, was something we couldn't resist."
I heard allusion to Meyer and her growing success last year when "Eclipse" debuted and the Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling comparisons began to run rampant. Prior to that, the "Twilight" series remained under my radar. After all, I'm not a teenage girl, nor do I jump at the chance to read a story about teen angst and pining for a "beautiful Edward." It's all a bit too The Covenant for me.
Grade 9 Up–Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella (Kristen Stewart) declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. You can grab some copies of the series on Amazon.com.
I have to give the whole affair some credit. Beyond the intriguing mix of vampires and high school love, the author is a rather interesting topic herself. The genesis of the storyline came to Meyer in a dream back in 2003. Inspiration comes at odd times sure, but why is a Mormon stay-at-home mom that doesn't watch horror movies dreaming about vampires? Despite a dearth of exposure to traditional material on the nocturnal creatures - she's not even read Bram Stoker's "Dracula" - Meyer obviously has a hidden knack for this unique dark and romantic concoction she's managed to create. Props to her.
So will I run out to see Twlight on December 12th? I'm not quite sure. The whole vampire inclusion strikes my horror fanboy chord, of course; but don't be fooled, the series doesn't sit in the horror genre at all. Meyer told Entertainment Weekly that the centerpiece of the storyline is really the romance. "I think that it's romance more than anything else…romance tends to be my favorite part of any book or movie, because that's really the strongest emotion."
If that wasn't enough, Twilight almost jumps off my list when I read another of Meyer's comments. "I've seen little pieces of Interview with a Vampire when it was on TV, but I kind of always go YUCK! I don't watch R-rated movies, so that really cuts down on a lot of the horror. And I think I've seen a couple of pieces of The Lost Boys, which my husband liked, and he wanted me to watch it once, but I was like, it's creepy!"
The project and series are interesting, sure, but it amounts to a horror tease for me. Take out the vampires and I probably never would have noticed "Twilight." The author actually has another book in the works called "The Host," which seems to similarly flirt with the nefarious. She recently described to MTV that the upcoming book is like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers, if the aliens had won. That gives you a sense of the horror, but these body snatchers are so kind and so good, and the world is such a good place when they're in charge, it makes it hard to hold their colonizing against them." The author goes on to say that she'd love to see Matt Damon in the lead. Depending how Twilight does this December, that may not be such a pipe dream after all.
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Reader Feedback - 37 Comments »
1
I myself have been a fan of the book since the start. I can't wait to see this, and hopefully, its sequels in theaters.
DavidR on Apr 10, 2008
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I'm a great fan of YA fiction and know quite a few people who adore the books, but I myself can't understand their popularity. I cringe at the phrase "America's J.K. Rowling." Honestly, the Twilight series runs on the ridiculous side, with glittery vampires and quotes such as: "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." / "What a sick, masochistic lamb." … Which isn't to say I've got anything against urban fantasy, but Meyer's prose isn't my cup of tea.
As for the "intriguing mix of vampires and high school love" … Buffy, anyone?
dk on Apr 10, 2008
3
Bring it on!
Spider on Apr 10, 2008
4
It's a pretty cool series, not the usual vampire stuff.
FYI, the author's name is spelled Stephenie with an E not an A and Edward is not a senior he's a junior (it's kind of key to the plot)
Jeanne on Apr 10, 2008
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I love it that one of my favourite book's adaptation is being discussed on one of my favourite blogs. However, I do find it bizarre to have this story analysed from the fanboy perspective (can't wait ’till AINC gets wind of this one). It's a complete disconnect for me. Twilight does not have the geek appeal that Buffy had. I mean, lets be honest here: the novels' audience is mainly female Gen-Y (although lets not discount the men, younger girls, and TwilightMoms). Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Interview with a Vampire, & The Lost Boys has absolutely NOTHING to do with this shiz. From my point of view those movies (with possibly the exception of IwtV b/c of it's cast and source material) lack relevancy for the novels' audience. As in, "oh… that Keanu movie with Sirius Black in it? Yeah, no. It was weird, and not in a cool Coppola/Anderson way."
You mentioned that "Take out the vampires and I probably never would have noticed "Twilight." Well, duh! Take out the vampires and there would be no Romeo and Juliet element.
As for The Covenant mention; comparing that film to the Twilight novel just doesn't work on so many levels. For example, although in both cases you've got the pretty people and a fair bit of supernatural goings on, the characters and the writing are incomparable. There's a reason why this series is so popular and The Covenant wasn't. From my perspective, a lot of fans are worried that the Twilight movie will turn out to be a The Covenant-level production. Full of promise, but ultimately a complete disappointment.
Finally, that Amazon.com description was atrocious and I really think you could have found a more accurate and interesting one, Kevin. Also, the need for lazy people to compare two completely unrelated entities ("America's J.K. Rowling") is infuriating.
I hope you guys keep writing about this production!
bronwynmaye on Apr 10, 2008
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Oh! And that photo of the cast is also pretty god-awful. It was fun for like two second when it first came out but the wigs, hair colour, and wardrobe reflect the very early nature of that photo. Can you guys please find something fun from the set for future articles? There are couple of awesome ones with the vampire siblings all in a convertible floating around.
bronwynmaye on Apr 10, 2008
9
I wonder if this if this makes you feel any better about the movie: Meyer's vampires dismember each other. So there is some gore there albeit a small part.
As for the Buffy comparison, I personally could not stand Buffy, but found Twilight enjoyable. The cheese factor is probably the same; Meyer's prose is far from amazing, but there's something strangely addictive about this series.
Lastly, she's not going to be another JK Rowling. Not possible.
Katie on Apr 10, 2008
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"As for the Buffy comparison, I personally could not stand Buffy, but found Twilight enjoyable. The cheese factor is probably the same; Meyer's prose is far from amazing, but there's something strangely addictive about this series."
Completely agree with you on all that.
bronwynmaye on Apr 10, 2008
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Kevin — Very true, Buffy's overall premise is unlike Twilight, although I have to point out that Buffy/Angel had the same ill-fated soulmate dynamic going on (Romeo and Juliet indeed). Which is not to say that they equal Bella/Edward…
And I never thought Robert Pattison would play Edward, either! Don't think he fits the part, though it's an interesting connection.
bronwynmaye — As for the "geek appeal," I'd say that Twilight certainly does have a following — if it's not fanboys, it's fangirls as you said, who are a force in their own right. I think it's fair to at least bring up other vampire media, if only to contrast Meyer's world to the others. Vampires tend to range from horrific (30 Days of Night) to sexualized. And Meyer includes werewolves too — not sure about other creatures. I guess it's easy to jump on anyone's idea of what a "vampire" is or entails because it's pretty subjective.
Katie — I can sort of understand the "strangely addictive" appeal though it doesn't work for me personally. I think it has to do with the fact that fans have a chance to grow attached to characters since it's a series. Which is perhaps another reason for the Rowling/Meyer analogy (though glad we all seem to agree that the analogy isn't right).
… on a side note, I'm thinking this production will stick more closely to the original than, say, Blood and Chocolate.
dk on Apr 10, 2008
12
i was a major fan from the start and this brilliant writer Stephenie Meyer got me hooked for good!!
I love this book!!!! =) 4ever
jay-c on Apr 11, 2008
13
Edward wasn't a Senior in Twilight. He, Bella, and his sister Alice were all Juniors. The rest of the Cullen clan were Seniors, thought.
Daphne on Apr 11, 2008
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I am doing a research paper on being a novelists…That is what I really want to do when I grow up. I would love some advice on how to get started. Your books inspired me so much!
Tiffany Edwardson on Apr 11, 2008
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Stephanie Meyer is a genious! Her stories are incredibly addicting
Melissa on Apr 11, 2008
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sorry im a little bit over sensative about these books lol and edward is a junior along with alice and bella. rosalie, emmet, and jasper are all seniors
btw luv the article
rockcheerbabelec@aim.com
lecia on Apr 13, 2008
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To me, the book and the movie are seperate. I am ecstatic for the film, and I think it will be amazing, but nothing will take place of the books and my first experience reading them.
As for Meyer not being your cup of tea, I know of others, though I think they're insane! HOWEVER, those people actually READ twilight. (Like my husband, he didn't like it, but he is entitled to his opinion because he read the book).
I think the movie will appeal a lot more to a general audience because its has more action, whereas the book it written from Bella's POV. Stephenie Meyer herself said trying to summarize Twilight sounds like a bad episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Obviously, these books are #1, there is something more to them.
Just read it already!! Then tell us your honest opinion.
Forcelle on Apr 14, 2008
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I think you may be looking at the series the wrong way and I believe it starts with the Harry Potter comparison. Harry Potter is told from the male perspective and while most woman don't mind reading novels with a male voice, men are much less inclined to do so. Therefore Twilight and it's sequels will never rise to the popularity of Harry Potter nor should it be scrutinized because it doesn't achieve those goals. Plus Stephenie didn't start out to make a true vampire anthology like Ann Rice or even Joss Wheden. She wanted to write a love story that would be tested time and time again and in that regard she succeeded marvelously. So in essence until people start viewing the novels for what they are, a romance with extraordinary obstacles, will they get and appreciate the hype.
Psappy on Apr 14, 2008
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These books have touched so many people in different levels. I for one, love these books and everything that comes with them. These books have not only captured the teens but also the moms [ visit Twilightmoms.com, they are the coolest ]. This movie is only being compared to Harry Potter because it has had the same or maybe more results as Harry Potter. i have heard of fans all over the world that live and breathe the Twilight Series. It's not a coincidence that they are comparing this marvelous film to the money maker Harry Potter; they have similarities. No matter how the film turns out, if all of the fans go to see the movie I am sure it will be a hit. I urge all Twilight Fans to promote this film, and to support it.
Continue updating on Twilight.
Ruthie on Apr 14, 2008
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Psappy & Ruthie:
I absolutely agree with your comments!
bronwynmaye on Apr 14, 2008
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Oh… and Forcelle: I agree too.
Damn! I sound like an echo.
bronwynmaye on Apr 14, 2008
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All I really want to procure is that all Twilight Fans help the promotion! I do not care for any Rowling/Meyer analogy. Meyer is brilliant, and Rowling too. That is enough for me.
Ruthie on Apr 14, 2008
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I wish people would stop comparing Stephenie Meyer to J.K. Rowling. Stephenie is in a whole other league of her own. Her ideas stem from her brain while J.K. Rowling's ideas have stemmed from other places. Stephenie has made the vampire thing kewl again, without the whole gory-horror thing!
And besides, I really think you should read the book before writing anything about it. It's a fabulous book that you would not want to put down (I have faith that if a normal teenage guy read the first chapter of this book, he'd want to read more, so you should be no different :P). And if you won't read the book, at least go see the movie and see what all the hype is about! It's going to be action-packed without all the corny crap!
Thanks for reviewing, Kevin. Keep reviewing more Twilight-related topics!
Rave on Apr 14, 2008
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maybe that's why this book is interesting to most people, cuz its not the typical vampire u see on tv or movies. That's why she's a great author, cuz she has a great imagination. And Twilight isn't only a book for teens…adults seem to enjoy it as well (twilightmoms.com) … i even know some guys that reads it =)
so please don't judge anything abt this book frm wat u heard or read frm those summaries… i really wish you READ THE BOOK! mayb you'll like it and you'll see why and how we're obssesed wid these books.
Faith on Apr 14, 2008
26
okay, first this is not like 'Buffy' so get over that right now. second the casting director should be bit…absolutely wrong choice for bella and edward and pretty much all of the cast except carlisle. ugh! LEAVE IT TO the movie people to screw another fantastic book up. the characters were described as utterly beautiful and they are so dead wrong for the parts. give me a break. stop production and recast!!!! UGH!!!
SIRIUS on Apr 14, 2008
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Say whatever you want but just because the movie has vampires doesn't mean it needs to be rated R and have nothing but blood and guts. This is a love story about a boy and a girl with a little bit of action. And whether they picked the right cast or not, which I think they did, they still deserve our full support for even agreeing to make the movie. So if you don't like it then don't go watch it, but it at least give it a chance before you start talking about how bad it's going to be when you haven't even seen it yet.
Oh and please please please stop comparing this to Buffy! That show was aweful and has NOTHING to do with these books other than there are vampires in both, that's it.
Alyssa on Apr 15, 2008
28
STOP COMPARING TWILIGHT!!!!!! GOOOOD!!! This is infuriating!
Harry Potter - magical world - ALL audiences. It has been on best-sellers lists for 10 years.
Twilight - vampires world - YA & Adults audiences. It has been on best-sellers lists for 1 or 2 years?
Buffy - vampires with fangs and "hollywood" stuff like that world - YA audiences. I never liked it.
I never liked vampires stories until I came across Twilight. Twilight is about vampires but not "Hollywood" vampires, no fangs, no coffins. Please stop comparing this book.
There isn't another JKR, there won't be someone like her. Meyer just created a world as Tolkien and C S Lewis and Christopher Paolini did. Stop already.
Bren on Apr 16, 2008
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I work with a lot of middle and high school students and I can aver that one thing Stephenie Meyer and J. K. Rowling have in common is their ability to engage readers, especially young readers. They have been able to make reading enjoyable for many children. Granted their prose will not compare to Dickens, but that is highly irrelevant. Children and adults want to have fun, and that is exactly what these authors have been able to create. A world of fun, make believe, and fantastical indulgence. I see children super excited to pick up their books and that is one of my greatest joys! I, for one, am very grateful for their contribution to the literacy community; and tonight, I think I might indulge my need for make-believe with a little Meyer 
Stacie on Apr 16, 2008
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Ok really Stepheny Meyers done a kick butt job with the twilight series. Me and every single one of my friends enjoyed the books. I even got a friend who hates to read to love the books. Now she can't wait for the fourth one to come out. As for the movie I hope it's as awesome as the book. I don't know about the casting of Edward, but I would like to see the casting of Jacob to go to Robert Strait [played Kaleb in the movie The Covenant]. I do have to say though that Stepheny Meyers is an awesome author. She made me cry like a baby when Edward left Bella in the second book. But
I do have to say this, the casting role of Bella [Kristen Stewart], they done an amazing job on that Kristen Stewart is a great actress. And oh yeah, Edward is a Junior not a Senior. Why do you think Bella and him are seniors in the third book?
courtney on Apr 17, 2008
31
i love the series! it is hte best thing since harry potter! i love harry potter and i didnt think the series could beat it! its pretty close. i love the books. i re-read them all the time! stephanie meyer did a great job i can really get into the books..like im there. i feel like im there and i can picture what is going on. but i am a little worried once i see the movie i will lose that image. but i love the books no matter what!!
nicole on Apr 23, 2008
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harry Potter is only okay compared to the magnifecence of the amazing Twilight Series I am forever in Stephanies debt for writing this trmendously awesome book. The movie is going to be really good ans hopefully attract more readers
sarah on Apr 28, 2008
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I am a father of 3, my oldest(girl) being 11 and the one who brought the Twilight book into our house. After Mom started reading it, I couldn't help myself, hearing bits and pieces of them talking about it. I suppose now I'm more excited than the rest of my clan to hear news of the movie and we are all satisfied with the casting. I'm a huge fan of all types of movies and literature, but I don't feel that comparing Stephanie's work to another is fair at all. That would assume some other work had been so well received as to set a standard?
I've never taken my que on what I fill my life with based off majority, art is about expression and envoking feelings in those that absorb it. Not everyone likes the same painting or color of carpet.
I am just now starting book 3 and we all look forward to the 4th book and the movie. I applaude the other writers for their varied success, but even if I had been the only one to read Twilight, my thoughts would remain the same.
Thank you so much, Mrs. Meyers for adding your visions and creative talents to our lives.
Chris Powers on May 4, 2008
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I love the books i read all of them .You made Edward sounded like the best boyfriend ever end really hot at that i cant wait for the movie to watch . i hope its as good as the books ???
Sonja Hilderbrand on May 7, 2008
36
Um just to let you know Bella is not in ninth grade… shes a junior. she clearly states it in the first book.
victoria on May 10, 2008
37
I loved the books, i thought the were and still are the best books i have ever read.
Though, i'm not really into the idea of the movie. At first i was like,"Oh My God, really Twilight a movie." But now, i don't know, i just don't think this guy is hot enought to play Edward.
Sure, sure, he's hot but Edward is suppost to be smokin hot.
I also love to write and Stephenie was my inspiration, for my writing, so thanks.
Anyways, can't wait for Breaking Dawn, keep up the good work Stephenie.
Sienna on May 11, 2008