Twilight: Midnight Sun Netflix Series Confirms Original Cast Won’t Return

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Okay, so the future of the show is still up in the air, but several of the original actors from the Twilight Saga have said they won’t be involved with the new Midnight Sun series on Netflix. It’s going to be based on Stephanie Meyer’s 2020 novel of the same name, which is a really cool idea – it basically retells the story of Twilight from Edward Cullen’s perspective, offering a completely different take on everything we already know.

Rumors started in early 2023 that Lionsgate wanted to bring the Twilight saga back, and in September 2024, Netflix officially announced a new animated series called Midnight Sun. Sinead Daly, who worked on Tell Me Lies, is writing and producing the show. Since then, there haven’t been any official updates on how production is going, though several actors from the original Twilight films have shared their thoughts on the new project.

During a recent Q&A panel at Motor City Comic Con, hosted by ScreenRant, the stars of Twilight – Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, and Jackson Rathbone – talked about the progress of Midnight Sun. Before discussing their thoughts on the series, Greene quickly clarified that they won’t be reprising their roles as the Cullen family members. Facinelli added that they jokingly asked if a return was possible, but the streaming service’s team said no.

Honestly, I’m really disappointed about someone else taking on the role because I loved playing that character. But that movie is special to so many people, myself included. It brings back a lot of memories – like watching it with family or friends, or seeing it in theaters when it first came out. Those films have been a part of a lot of people’s lives over the past 20 or 25 years, and they represent a certain time in their lives.

Fueled by the recent wave of nostalgia for the original Twilight films, actor Peter Facinelli shared his thoughts on the new series. He believes the show won’t capture the same magic as the movies fans cherish, particularly without the original cast reprising their roles. While still supportive, he’s “sure it’ll be great in its own way,” but feels it’s so different from the originals that he doesn’t know what guidance he could offer the new cast.

Rathbone shared a humorous story about how he and his fellow actors found out about the animated series Midnight Sun. At first, fans told them it was in development, but they dismissed it, saying it wasn’t true. They later discovered it was real at a convention when an actress – whose name he didn’t want to disclose – mentioned she had auditioned for the show. He was shocked and immediately asked to see the script she used for her audition.

Rathbone admitted that a reboot was bound to happen and that he and his fellow actors weren’t naive about it. He then reached out to his agent to explore the possibility of reprising his role from Twilight. After that, he connected with Facinelli, Greene, and Lutz to brainstorm how they could all contribute to the new show.

We thought it would be great to revisit the series while we still sounded like our younger selves. As a group, we told them we’d be happy to come back and do it properly. Honestly, we weren’t asking for much money – we really wanted to do it for the fans and because we loved our characters. But they turned us down flat, and we didn’t even get a chance to audition, which was a surprise.

Lutz brought up Rathbone’s comment about their voices, noting that Midnight Sun is becoming an animated series. This means the actors won’t have to worry about being too old for their roles in the future. Greene agreed, happily pointing out that they still sound young. However, she also spoke for the group in saying they wish whoever takes on the roles all the best and hope the material connects with something they’re passionate about.

Despite this, she expressed worry that it would be “very difficult” to match the success of the original movies, noting that many attempts to recreate the impact of Twilight have failed. She suggested the team behind the first films had discovered a unique and special approach when adapting Stephenie Meyer’s books, and she wondered if that same magic could be captured in an animated version.

Facinelli described the experience as similar to Christmas 2024, when he tried to share a childhood favorite with his three-year-old son. He’d downloaded an animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, hoping his son would enjoy it as much as he had. However, he realized he’d downloaded the 2018 version starring Benedict Cumberbatch instead of the one he remembered from his own childhood. He clarified he has nothing against Cumberbatch, but simply wanted to share his Grinch with his son.

Watching the reboot felt really unpleasant to me, like a grating sound. My three-year-old son probably enjoyed it – he loves everything! But for me, growing up with the original was a comforting experience, and I was hoping for something similar. I understand others might feel differently and enjoy the new version, and that’s perfectly fine – it’s just a matter of personal preference.

It’s not just the actors who played the Cullens who won’t be returning for the new Midnight Sun series. Chaske Spencer and Gil Birmingham, who played Sam Uley and Billy Black in the original Twilight films, were also surprised to hear about the show. Spencer has confirmed he won’t be involved, while Birmingham hasn’t said whether he will or won’t.

The actors’ voices haven’t changed enough to warrant finding new ones. Netflix proved they can successfully reunite an original cast for an animated remake, as they did with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. This anime series revisited the story of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel and Edgar Wright’s film, and remarkably, the entire original cast returned – even though 13 years had passed since the movie was released.

Beyond simply considering how the actors’ voices might sound after all these years, the main reason Midnight Sun is likely recasting is money. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have become huge stars since the Twilight films, and their salaries would be very high, as would the cost of paying the rest of the cast. When you add in the expense of animation and setting up future seasons, Netflix probably wants this Twilight reboot to be a fresh start with a new cast.

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2025-11-20 21:32