Netflix’s Twilight TV Show Has 1 Major Edward Cullen Hurdle To Overcome

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Netflix’s upcoming “Twilight” series faces a significant challenge with the character of Edward Cullen. The “Twilight” phenomenon was huge when the books and films were first released, and it’s experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Driven by 2000s nostalgia and the 25th anniversary of the first book, “Twilight” is popular again, leading Netflix to create a new TV adaptation.

Rather than remake the original novels, the new series will retell the story from Edward Cullen’s point of view, following the plot of his 2020 book, Midnight Sun. And instead of being a live-action show, it will be animated, offering a fresh take on the vampire romance.

I’m really excited about the new Twilight series on Netflix! But I also think it’s going to have some tough challenges. Since they’re telling the story through Edward’s eyes, the showrunners are going to have to be careful – it’s hard to make a show work when you’re so focused on one character’s perspective, and a lot of shows stumble with that.

Midnight Sun Relies Heavily On Edward Cullen’s Internal Narration & Fantasies

Image via Summit Entertainment

As a big movie fan, I always felt the Twilight films made a smart choice with Bella’s inner thoughts. The books rely heavily on her narration, but thankfully, the movies didn’t overdo it with voiceovers. They only used them when it really helped move the story along, which was great – too much voiceover can feel cheesy fast! It’s so easy for a movie to just tell you things instead of showing them, and the films avoided that by keeping the voiceovers minimal. It really let the story unfold visually, which is what I love to see.

The upcoming animated movie based on Midnight Sun will likely need to feature Edward Cullen’s thoughts and daydreams. Without them, there isn’t much point in making a movie from the book. The story is very similar to Twilight, mainly adding scenes Bella didn’t witness. Hearing Edward’s inner voice is what makes the story unique and helps us understand his character.

Edward’s intense focus on Bella is understandable considering how powerfully her blood affects him, almost completely overwhelming his ability to think clearly. The desire to feed on her is so strong that he even imagines and schemes about harming her and others. Furthermore, she’s unique – the only person whose thoughts he’s been able to read in over a century. While this doesn’t excuse his unsettling or concerning actions, it does offer some explanation for why he behaves the way he does.

After reading Midnight Sun, Edward’s decision not to turn Bella into a vampire is much easier to understand. The book reveals just how much he struggles with self-hatred – he constantly refers to himself as a monster, often every few pages. It’s clear he deeply despises what he is, whether you see him as a teenager, an old soul, or a vampire over a century old.

He’s incredibly hard on himself, to the point where he really needs to see a therapist. His self-loathing seems even stronger than his feelings for Bella, which is remarkable considering how much he cares for her. Because he hates being a vampire so much, it makes sense he wouldn’t want to turn Bella into one too.

Without his internal thoughts, we wouldn’t know what’s happening. He rarely shares these thoughts in conversations, so the show can’t leave them out or downplay them when adapting ‘Midnight Sun’.

Edward Cullen Communicates With His Family Through Thoughts In Midnight Sun

Edward Cullen’s inner thoughts need to be shown on the TV show because he often communicates with his family mentally. He and Alice, for example, can have complete conversations this way – he reads her thoughts and she understands his subtle responses through his actions.

Edward overhears a silent conversation among the Cullens in the lunchroom where they discuss avoiding the temptation to harm their human classmates. He also discovers, by reading their minds, that Jasper and Rosalie want to kill Bella after her car accident, which immediately triggers his instinct to protect her.

Twilight Cullen Actors Who Have Confirmed They Aren’t Returning For Midnight Sun
Actor Character
Ashley Greene Alice Cullen
Peter Facinelli Carlisle Cullen
Kellan Lutz Emmett Cullen
Jackson Rathbone Jasper Cullen

As a huge Twilight fan, I really appreciated getting more insight into Edward and Alice’s relationship in Midnight Sun. It’s fascinating to see how his mind-reading lets him tap into her visions – he basically gets her in a way almost no one else does, except for Jasper, of course, being her soulmate. While it sometimes causes friction when he doesn’t like what he sees, for the most part, that deep connection is a real strength for both of them.

Furthermore, Edward Cullen works with his family, using his telepathy to see through their perspectives and determine if the tracker is still pursuing them during the book’s most intense moment.

Netflix’s Twilight TV Show Needs To Embrace The Campiness Of Narration & Telepathy

Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic

Considering everything we’ve talked about, removing Edward’s narration or telepathy just isn’t an option – it’s essential to the story’s core. And honestly, his inner thoughts are often pretty amusing. So, instead of trying to minimize the slightly over-the-top voiceovers and telepathy, we should embrace them and play them up.

The upcoming Midnight Sun series won’t succeed if it tries to be overly serious or highbrow. Instead, the Netflix show should embrace the fun, sometimes cheesy, nature of the original Twilight books—like the vampires’ habit of reading each other’s minds—and remember it’s meant to be an enjoyable fantasy romance.

The animated Twilight series has the freedom to depict the book’s stranger moments in a way the live-action films couldn’t. This includes visually showing things like vampires appearing to burst into flames in sunlight, Edward’s disturbing daydream of harming a classroom full of people, and even the bizarre scene of him consuming Bella’s tears – arguably the most unusual part of the story.

If they lean into how strange the books are, the voiceover might actually fit right in with the Twilight TV show.

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2025-12-31 04:40