Netflix is busier than ever with upcoming projects, including new seasons and sequels for One Piece, Wednesday, and Enola Holmes, and it has also recently revealed the first look at the anticipated animated series Ghostbusters: Night Shift. That’s not the only animated series featuring a big IP that’s been in development at Netflix, and after two years of silence, we finally have a positive update on Netflix’s Twilight replacement series.
In 2024, it was revealed that Netflix was developing an animated adaptation of the Twilight companion novel Midnight Sun, but since then, the series has been silent in terms of status updates. That’s now changing though, thanks to a new casting call confirmed by What’s on Netflix, as the casting call document reveals the project is casting for Jacob Black and Billy Black. It’s specifically said in the casting that these are for recurring Voiceover roles, which makes sense since Jacob is a major part of the story, even in this Edward-focused version.
Most people are familiar with The Twilight Saga, which is based on the hit novels from author Stephenie Meyer. The novels then inspired five Twilight films starring Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson, and now Netflix is bringing the franchise to animation.
This is not a straight-up remake of the original novels though, as the series will instead be based on Midnight Sun, which tells the story of Twilight from Edward’s perspective instead of Bella’s. We still don’t have any casting information yet on Edward or Bella, but we do know what the studio is looking for in terms of their character descriptions for Jacob and his father, Billy, and you can find both below.
JACOB BLACK – Recurring (V.O.) – The team is looking for a male, Native American actor to voice the young teen (specifically asking for adults to play the teen role). The vocal quality is described as “youthful, inviting, and cheerful, exuding a happy-go-lucky demeanor with a husky tone.” Jacob’s youthful innocence makes him relatable and endearing as he develops a budding crush on Bella Swan. As the son of a Quileute tribal elder, he has a strong connection to his family and culture. The character speaks with an American accent.
BILLY BLACK – Recurring (V.O.) – The production is searching for a male, Native American actor who sounds and appears to be in his late 40s to 50s. The required vocal quality should exude “kindness and wisdom.” Billy is a prominent Quileute tribal elder, a close friend of Bella’s father, Charlie Swan, and is deeply devoted to his son, Jacob. The character is described as being under “significant stress and pressure to protect him and his community from escalating vampire conflicts.” He serves as the bridge between the Quileute culture and the outside world. The character speaks with an American accent.
With casting starting to get underway, it seems the project is finally moving forward in a substantive way, which is wonderful news. With the extensive timeline for animation, it still might be a while before we see the final project on screen, but we do seem to be approaching full-on production sooner rather than later, and that’s a huge step in the right direction.
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