Months have passed since Bella and Edward sparkled forth into the sunset (with their precious half-immortal daughter, Renesemee, cradled beside them, of course). But despite the Cullens' happily ever after ending, whispers that Stephenie Meyer's popular franchise is far from over have begun circulating throughout the Twilight community.
So are the rumors true? Will there another book or, at least, a follow-up to 2012's Breaking Dawn Part 2?
Well, judging by the final movie's immense box office success, it makes monetary sense for Summit Entertainment to move forward with new material. Back in November 2012, Entertainment Weekly reported that the supernatural blockbuster's worldwide gross stood at over $700 million, and that it had monopolized the foreign theatrical circuit for consecutive weekends. Those astronomical figures have only increased since then to a whopping $827,961,000. (Not too shabby for a couple of small-town bloodsuckers, eh?) There's money to be made and lots of it and, in Hollywood, more green is impetus enough.
Moreover, the last installment, which introduced new characters with exciting individual powers and an adrenaline-filled Volturi battle scene, indicated just how steeped in history Twilight actually is, and that its mythology is rich and teeming. There are so many stories—from the perspectives of other vampires, werewolves, and even humans—begging to be explored further. (Think along the lines of the Twilight spin-off novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and Midnight Sun, the online release told from Edward's point-of-view.) Add in legions of Twihards who'd love to see Edward and Bella settle into family life at their woodland nook (a cottage straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting), Renesmee blossom into a poised young woman, Jacob Black bare his sexy wolf teeth (and abs) once again, and what the other gorgeous Cullen pairs are up to now that they no longer have to tend to a lovestruck teenage girl—it seems as though the odds are ever in favor of a series continuation.
Nevertheless, don't allow me to fill your hearts with hope only to stake it right out of you later on. My speculations are just that: mere fangirl theories. On the other hand, when the creator of the Twilight world makes a sanguine remark about the series not ending, that carries way more clout. Here's what Stephenie Meyer revealed to Crave Online during an interview at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival:
Crave Online: They call me Franchise Fred because I love my franchises. I never want them to end, even when there’s a final chapter. I want them to always go on and I trust the authors to create more good stories. Why wouldn’t you want to continue them?
Stephenie Meyer: I mean, obviously there are more stories there. When I first wrote the end of Breaking Dawn, I was planning on going on for quite a while further and so I didn’t wrap it up. I didn’t kill everybody. I could have. [Laughs] Thought about it later. So there are other stories there, but like I said I am vampired out. So maybe in a couple years, spend some time with some aliens, maybe do my mermaid book finally, and then maybe I’ll be able to get back to it but right now I’m just sick of them.
(Check out the full Crave Online Q&A here.)
Honestly, it doesn't sound like Stephenie Meyer is in any hurry to add to her best-selling series. She has a lot on her plate as it is with producing and developing other properties such as Austenland. Still, she did not dismiss the idea of continuing the saga, and seemed rather open to revisiting it. So that's a promising sign, right? 'For sure!' eager Twihards everywhere scream in unison.
That being said, what's your stance on the future of the Twilight franchise: Are you ready to sink your teeth into fresh content or was Breaking Dawn Part 2 the perfect conclusion? Drop us a comment below!
A Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars pundit by profession, Theo enjoys freshly brewed iced tea, Greek poetry, and Whedonverse. A conspiracy theorist at heart, she’s constantly on the look-out for horcruxes and is still trying to make sense of Lost Season 6. Follow her musings on entertainment at @theodorag13.
