Before Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
The writer made it clear at the time on her website
Jackson Rathbone or Elliot Page also sounded among his possible candidates for the leads.
Last August a new book in the Twilight saga was released, ‘Midnight Sun’, in which fans were given the chance to see Twilight’s story told from the perspective of Edward Cullen. The publication of the book is something that fans have been waiting for 12 years and has sparked renewed interest not only in the books, but also in the film franchise, and that includes looking back and knowing who Meyer originally wanted to play Edward. and Bella, roles that fell as well known to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
When the film was still in development, Meyer visited his website to write about whom he envisioned in the roles (via Teen Vogue). At the time, she noted that she had absolutely no influence or control over who would ultimately be cast, but she still wanted fans to know who her picks were – the writer wanted Henry Cavill and Emily Browning as her leads. ” Hands down, the most difficult character to choose, Edward, is also the one who has decided me with the most passion, ” Meyer wrote at the time. ” The only actor I’ve seen that I think could be close to casting Edward Cullen is …. (drum roll) …. Henry Cavill .”
What’s interesting about this, once you get the idea of Cavill as Edward, is that she also shared the most popular suggestions for Edward’s casting on her website, and number two on that list was the actor who finally got the role, Pattinson. Gerard Way was also among the candidates. He also noted that one of his favorite suggestions was Jackson Rathbone and as fans know, Rathbone ended up appearing in the film as Jasper Hale.
As for Bella, Meyer had a few favorite options, including now ‘The Umbrella Academy’ star Elliot Page and The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker (Page had just played Kitty Pryde in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and starred in ‘Juno’ while Panabaker had starred in ‘Sky High’ in 2005). His favorite, however, was Browning, who had starred in ‘A Series of Lemony Snicket’s Calamity’ in 2004.
As progress in the film’s development continued, Meyer would eventually update his wish list: Cavill “grew old” in the role of Edward in his mind, eventually expressing support and enthusiasm for the castings of Pattinson and Stewart.
“I am so excited that Kristen Stewart will be playing Bella in the next Twilight movie. She is an incredible actress with experience across the board – action, horror, comedy, romance, and more. Since Twilight has moments that fit each of these genres, I am delighted to have a Bella who has practiced in all of them. ”
While ‘Twilight’ was certainly a career change for its two stars, things haven’t gone bad for Cavill, either. The actor has become the new Superman in the DCEU and currently plays Geralt of Rivia in ‘The Witcher’. As for Browning, she would go on to star in Zack Snyder’s ‘Sucker Punch’ and currently plays Laura Moon in ‘American Gods’, and also ended up making a cameo in another movie based on one of Meyer’s books; had an uncredited cameo as Wanda / Pet on ‘The Host’.
