Netflix Locks In Multiple Seasons Of ‘Midnight Sun’, The Adult ‘Twilight’ Animated Series

Few franchises have proven as hard to kill as ‘Twilight‘. The Twilight Saga went from a bestselling four-book series to a five-movie franchise that earned more than $3 billion at the global box office. Now the ‘Midnight Sun’ animated series is gearing up to give that world a very different kind of return.

The project adapts Midnight Sun, a 2020 novel that retells the events of ‘Twilight’ from Edward Cullen’s perspective. Meyer stopped writing the novel in 2008 after 12 chapters of the unfinished manuscript were released online, and it sold 1 million copies in its first week. Robert Pattinson used the unfinished manuscript to inform his performance as Edward.

That backstory makes the latest update feel earned. Lionsgate has revealed that the animated adaptation has a two-season commitment from Netflix, a rare upfront vote of confidence before a single frame has hit the service. The confirmation came during Lionsgate’s earnings call on Nov. 5.

Kevin Beggs, Chairman of the Lionsgate Television Group, confirmed the size of the order on the call. He described Meyer as a huge fan of television in all genres, and said her love of animation led directly to the adaptation. He added that Meyer and her team are very hands-on, running the process alongside Lionsgate and Netflix.

Beggs said Lionsgate has high expectations for the series and sees it as a continuation and expansion of the Twilight universe. That framing suggests the studio views it as more than a simple retelling. He also described the project as an animated production aimed at an adult audience.

One outlet noted that animation also gives the project more freedom to explore without ballooning the budget, which would be harder to manage in live action.

Locking in 2 seasons now means production can keep rolling without a lengthy pause waiting on a renewal decision, which should help shorten the gap between seasons. The road to this point has been long. The project was first reported in early development in April 2023 at Lionsgate Television, and Lionsgate confirmed in March 2024 that it would be animated. Netflix then gave the show a straight-to-series order in September 2024.

Meyer’s 2020 book was the first entry in the series since 2015, when she released a gender-swapped retelling called ‘Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined’.

Sinead Daly is serving as showrunner. Stephenie Meyer, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Erik Feig, Meghan Hibbett and Emily Wissink are listed as executive producers and producers, and Lynn Wang is the supervising director. Lionsgate also produced the ‘Twilight’ films, which gives the series a direct creative link back to the original franchise.

Casting is also underway. The search is on for two recurring voice roles, Jacob Black and Billy Black. Casting documents show tentative production dates of August 2026 through May 2027.

Netflix has not announced a premiere date. Based on the current production timeline, the series likely won’t hit screens until late 2027 at the earliest, or more likely 2028 or beyond. Fans have been waiting for news since the series was first announced, and this order is the clearest sign yet that it is moving forward.

While the book only covers the events of ‘Twilight’, the TV series could cover all 4 books if Netflix decides to continue. That has not been confirmed, but a second season could take the story beyond what Meyer has published from Edward’s point of view.

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