Hold on tight, spider monkeys, because Netflix is adapting Stephenie Meyer’sMidnight Sun, the companion novel that tells the Twilight story from Edward Cullen’s perspective, as an animated series. After years of radio silence, it looks like Edward’s brooding inner monologue is about to get the prestige-streaming treatment.
Lionsgate Television first confirmed a Twilight TV series in April 2023, and Variety reported in May 2024 that it would be animated. Netflix made it official on September 4, 2024, with Sinead Daly writing. Then came a stretch of quiet. There were few updates for nearly two years, long enough for fans to wonder whether the thing had quietly died in a Forks parking lot.
It hasn’t because casting is underway, and the show has some real momentum behind it. For a franchise that has spent over a decade as both a punchline and a comfort watch, this might just be an iconic comeback.
What we actually know
The production details are getting more concrete. Casting is underway for Jacob and Billy Black, and the casting sheet lists tentative project dates from August 2026 through May 2027, with Los Angeles as the hub. Netflix’s Tudum has confirmed the show is still in development, with Meyer as executive producer, Daly as showrunner, and Lynn Wang as supervising director.
There’s also a vote of confidence from the streamer. Lionsgate has revealed that Netflix has made a two-season commitment, before a single frame has even hit the service. Netflix doesn’t hand that out to every property, and it suggests the company sees real value in the Twilight fanbase.
The Edward problem (and opportunity)
Here’s the pitch: Midnight Sun is the book where Edward gets to explain himself. It arrived 15 years after Twilight, and some fans felt its more mature narrative surpassed the original. It’s a retelling that adds interiority, and animation could be a good fit for it. A hundred-year-old vampire’s obsessive, self-loathing thought spirals can go places live action struggled to reach in 2008.
Still, the series will have to thread a needle. Edward’s perspective is as unsettling as it is swoony, and modern audiences have strong opinions about stalker-adjacent romance. Whether the show leans into that discomfort or glosses over it will shape how it lands.
When can we watch?
Not soon. The voice cast for the leads hasn’t been announced. Based on the production timeline, we likely won’t see the series on Netflix until late 2027 at the earliest, and more likely 2028 or beyond.
That leaves plenty of time to reread the book, relitigate Team Edward versus Team Jacob, and speculate about the casting. For now, the franchise that refused to stay buried is back. Given its track record, we should have seen it coming.
