Team Edward or Team Jacob?
Team Peta or Team Gale?
If you grew up around the era of the ultra popular novel-turned-film series Twilight and The Hunger Games, you know exactly which team you are on. You probably had these t-shirts, pencil cases, and computer screens dedicated to your favorite characters. The films were the hype of a lifetime. People would wait outside movie theaters for days, waiting to see what happened next in an epic stories.
But, it's over. And those days don't need to be resurrected.
Wait, don't freak out! I can explain, hear me out.
There's a current trend in film and T.V. to revamp or continue to tell old stories. Fuller House is a successful continuation sequel of Full House. Will and Grace is releasing a new season. Disney is ranking millions in box office sales from their live-action versions of classic films.
It works. We already know and love the characters. These shows and stories already have a large following behind them. It makes sense for production companies to place their dollars on themes like this compared to originality.
Lionsgate Films, an American entertainment company responsible for bringing you Twilight and The Hunger Games recently told Variety.com that they want more from the both series.
I have nothing against the Twilight or The Hunger Games franchises. I have read the books, watched the movies and rewatched them years later. I actually got excited for a brief second thinking about Robert Pattison as a sparkly vampire again. Twilight and The Hunger Games are both dominant faces in pop-culture and nothing will take that away from them. My personal favorite part about them is they got people to read again. Believe it or not, there are other books.
Of course, other companies have tried to bring other book series to life hoping to get the same reaction. Books like Percy Jackson, The Maze Runner, and Divergent did well, but never came close to filling any shoes. As much as it is a risk-factor to take a chance on a new series, we will lose creativity and originality in the entertainment industry if we keep doing what's been done before.
There are hundreds of book series that deserve their shot at the silver screen before we throw our hands in the air and say, "Well, who else should Katniss fight?" I absolutely would purchase a ticket to see the next movie in either series for the sake of keeping up with the story and teenage nostalgia. Sitting in a movie theater ready to watch some vampires or braided teenage girls is almost giving up that there could be better stories out there. It's almost the entertainment industry surrendering to the possibility of another character could become a national phenomenon.
The Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why is a prime example of the thirst young people still have for visuals of popular books. Thirteen Reasons Why was an overnight success and the book was seen popping up in public again. People of all ages with their noses in a book on buses and on public benches. While Netflix doesn't have the same scale of audience as a multi-million dollar movie, it was still a wide-ranged success.
The Selection Series, The Gallagher Girls and Eleanor and Park are just a few of books with dedicated fans who would love to see their favorite story brought to life. Instead revisiting dusty merchandise collections, we should be promoting and producing new material to reach a different audience. It doesn't have to be the "new" Twilight, it can stand on its own creating their own impact on a generation.
Remakes and continuations are fun, but don't forget the other stories that deserved to be told. As much as I would love to see my favorite actors reunite for another tale, it's not the right moment. Let's keep the "team whoever" t-shirts in our drawers for a few more years and give someone else a chance to shine. You never know which story could change the next generation.
