Twilight's new TV series is actually a huge reward for fans

So, when it was announced yesterday that my beloved Twilight was getting made into a TV show, my first thought was to grab a pitchfork and join the rest of the angry mob online. Like the new Harry Potter series, I thought a reboot was an insult to those of us who put effort into being a sad Twilight tween. But on reflection, like with Harry Potter, I realised that there’s so much more to be done with Stephenie Meyer’s story.

So far, all that’s been shared about the new reboot is that it’s being made by Lionsgate Television – the producers of the original films – and by Tell Me Lies writer Sinead Daly. It’s still not known whether the series will follow the story of Bella Swan or take a different route – personally I’m still hoping for an Alice and Jasper spin-off but that’s not very likely.

But going off the assumption that it will still centre around our maudlin and age-obsessed Bella, the news is really not as bad as you might think. It could even, dare I say it, be an improvement on the films.

To start, we might get to see a protagonist with a bit more oomph to her. Sorry Kristen Stewart, but when her version of Bella wasn’t biting her lip or doing rubbish Google searches, it was hard to tell that there was actually a brain inside her.

In the books, Bella isn’t constantly getting saved; she’s smart, resourceful, and occasionally funny. As a narrator she makes fun of herself and the ridiculousness of her situation, and we also get enough confusion and self-reflection to understand why she ends up in the middle of her warped love triangle.

Then there’s the dialogue. Cheesy lines are undoubtedly part of what makes Twilight such a fun re-watch, but if we had a TV series, we might finally be able to scrub “you better hold on tight, spider monkey” and “this is the skin of a killer, Bella” from our minds.

Without those awkward lines Catherine Hardwicke might not have had to work so hard to make the film feel sleek. Plus, I think we’ve moved on enough as a society to think of a better pick-up line from the 100-year-old Edward.

Outside of the film’s flaws, the books also have a large amount of rich lore and mythology that there just isn’t room for in 90 minutes. When talking about the possibility of more Twilight novels, Stephenie Meyer has mentioned how much myths and legends play into her writing.

In a report by USA Today, she said: “For me, a lot of the joy of writing comes from creating and I really want to do a new world and new rules and new mythology. Mythology is kind of my thing.”

So, with a TV show we might get to look more into Carlisle’s past with the Volturi, the Quileute legends, or how the vampires get their unbelievable powers. Meyer’s latest book Midnight Sun, which tells the story from Edward’s perspective, develops the backstories of characters like Jasper and Emmett, and causes them to go from background characters to crucial and interesting members of the family. All of this could be explored, and more, with a multi-part series.

Finally, and most important of all, we could have Breaking Dawn without the CGI baby.

So, for better or for worse, a new Twilight series is on the way. It could be a complete affront to what we know and love, or it could be a fresh new take on this mad world of vampires, werewolves and unconvincing wigs.

But no matter what, when it comes to Twilight, I will always be unconditionally and irrevocably in love with them.

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