On the 21st November 2008 'Twilight' was released in cinemas in the US, the first of four films in the vampire saga which become one of the biggest phenomenons of the time and one of the most profitable sagas in the last 10 years. The first film alone harvested more than $400 million dollars in box office profits, with 'New Moon' making over $700 million, 'Eclipse' doing almost as well, and 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1' also surpassing the $700 million mark. 'Breaking Dawn: Part 2' achieved the record fro the saga, closing with a grand total profit of nearly $830 million.
The success of the 'Twilight' saga in the cinema was to be expected given the enormous success that the original novels, written by Stephenie Meyer, also achieved. The author, despite criticism received by a few of her colleagues in the profession (we remember Stephen King literally saying that "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good"), Meyer still successfully made the Edward, Bella, and Jacob scenario into one of the most famous love triangles among teenagers of the time. With that she achieved just as an overwhelming success with her novels as with the adaptations which followed on screen.
'Twilight' and the rest of the films in the saga brought the phenomenal boom of vampire culture to the 21st Century. Without a doubt, the much-criticized saga of film and books was key to this explosion of the vampire myth. In recognition and remembrance of this fantastic saga, we have gathered together 10 curiosities about the 'Twilight' franchise. Did you know that Robert Pattinson was not Meyer's preferred choice for Edward Cullen?
Did you know...
1. The secret of Bella's brown eyes: in 'Twilight' we are unable to see Kristen Stewart's natural green eyes, seeing as in the books Bella's eyes are brown and this detail was so vital to Stephenie Meyer that she insisted on the actress wearing contact lenses (perhaps 'Harry Potter' should take a page out of her book...).
2. Robert Pattinson's preparation for the role: although he never hid the fact that he basically went to the casting because he liked Kristen Stewart in 'Into the Wild', he took his role very seriously once he was cast. In order to prepare for the role he decided not to speak to anyone for weeks before starting the shoot, in order to get into character and feel the way he thought Edward might.
3. Bryce Dallas Howard's initial rejection of the role of Victoria: from the word go the director and producers of 'Twilight' offered the role of Victoria to Howard, but she initially rejected it on account of it being such a small part in the first film. She later changed her mind when the character obtained a more significant role later in the saga.
4. Taylor Lautner's hair: the long luscious locks that Jacob sports in 'New Moon' was in fact a wig.
5. The dream cast: the final cast of the films looked nothing like the dream cast that Meyer envisioned; for starters her ideal actor for Edward Cullen was Henry Cavill, but he rejected the role on account of his age (25). Furthermore, Meyer wanted Emily Browning in the role of Bella, Charlie Hunnam as Carlise, Mary-Louise Parker as Esme, Rachel Leigh Cook as Alice, Tom Welling as Emmet and Olivia Wilde as Rose... so nothing like what actually happened! Would you prefer Meyers cast?
6. Kristen Stewarts doubts: at first Stewart rejected the role, as she had doubts about the character, but eventually she changed her mind, though she has never said what lead to this change of heart.
7. Cam Gigandet asked to be re-cast: originally Gigandet, who stars as James, was cast as Emmett Cullen. However, he asked the director if he could be recast as the villain instead.
8. Peter Facinelli was the second choice: originally Facinelli was rejected for the role of Carlisle Cullen, but when the original actor dropped out, director Catherine Hardwicke then gave Facinelli a call.
9. The finalists for the role of Edward: we already know what Meyer envisioned for the role, but Hardwicke had her own vision too. She confirmed that the last four actors who were up for the role of Edward were Ben Barnes, Shiloh Fernandez, Jackson Rathbone and Robert Pattinson.
10. Anna Kendrick did not like her character: none of the actors in the saga have been particularly complimentary about their role (or the franchise in general) since it all came to an end, however Kendrick has joined the list, saying that she thought Jessica was an idiot and that she liked nothing about her. Wow, strong words...
Which fact surprised you the most?
