Hollywood is all about finding the next hot thing, whether that's a script, an actor, a director, a genre (vampires anyone?) or the ultimate discovery, a lucrative film series.The seven "Harry Potter" movies have so far netted over $6 billion, while the first three installments of "The Twilight Saga" have earned just under $1.8 billion. That's nearing "Oprah" money, people! (As opposed to "Potter," which is nearing "Zuckerberg" money... but we'd rather be Oprah.)
And that's not even counting all the licensing and swag sales... you gotta figure another few hundred thousand in Edward Cullen lunchboxes alone.
Studio executives would happily hand over their firstborns to the Volturi for a lead on "the next 'Twilight' franchise" (trust me, I've prank-called). That's because finding such a rarity is about as easy as winning the lottery.
Paramount developed "Twilight" for three years before getting letting the rights slip to a then-little-known production company Summit Entertainment. Universal and United Artists passed on their options for "Star Wars," and 20th Century Fox gave Lucas hell through production, worried the over-budget film wouldn't amount to much.
The problem movie studios run into is trying too hard to find "the next _______." "The Twilight Saga" is as much the next "Harry Potter" as "Pirates of the Caribbean" is the next "The Lord of the Rings" or "Ice Age" is the next "Toy Story." Fanatics of one series aren't necessarily looking to glom onto a new similar thing.
It seems like every other week we're hearing buzz about some book being adapted for the big screen that its producers hope can be "The next 'Twilight.'" News flash, producers: There's only, and will only ever be, one "Twilight."
Before breaking down these wannabes, let's first explore what makes "Twilight," "Twilight."
Addictive Book Series: If a reader spends time with the books, they're definitely hooked for the films.
Odd Names: The Twi-Hard base are teen girls. They're tired of being an "Ann" or "Sarah" and enjoy fantasizing about being a "Bella," "Esme" or "Renesmee."
Moping Female Lead: Not to sound derogatory, but teenagers mope. High school sucks, dude. We identify with Bella because we're going through puberty, or have.
Heart-of-Gold Bad Boy: Vampires are heartless killers, but not Edward, who walks a thin line in between.
Supernatural Love Triangle: Who doesn't want to be desired by both a debonair vampire and beefy werewolf?
The following titles have all been called "the next "Twilight." While they all contain traits similar to Stephenie Meyer's series, here's why none of them are...
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