Twilight Almost Killed Off Two Beloved Characters. Luckily, Rewrites Saved Them

Summary

• Twilight's massive fanbase was very vocal when the film series based on Stephenie Meyer's books was in its early stages.
• This probably convinced the creators to make the movies as close to the source material as possible.
• It also may have saved two fan-favorite characters from the demise written into the original script.

Back when the Twilight movie franchise was in its infancy, Stephenie Meyer's dedicated fans kept a close eye on every creative decision, from the casting of the leads, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, to the choice of filming locations. Any wrong move would cause an uproar in the massive and passionate Twilight fandom.

Probably for this reason, the films generally stayed true to the source material, only adding a few scenes to up the drama levels. And that probably saved two fan-adored characters who were killed off in the original script.

Who Was Supposed To Die

The first draft of the 2008 Twilight movie, written by Mark Lord, veered wildly from the canonical story. Bella was reimagined as a fierce and tough-as-nails action heroine, wielding a shotgun and blasting vampires left and right. The violence was ramped up to attract a young male audience.

What's more, the script originally added a tragic twist by killing off two major characters: Charlie Swan, Bella's father, and Carlisle Cullen, Edward's adoptive father. Thankfully, this grim outcome was scrapped in the final version of the script written by Melissa Rosenberg, allowing both characters to survive and eventually become favorites for millions of viewers.

Why It Would Be a Disaster

Despite being two different species, Charlie and Carlisle both channel the same idea - they are the ultimate father figures in the Twilight universe. Yes, the first Twilight movie has its flaws and could possibly even benefit from a more active female lead from the original Lord script. But the death of both dads would pull the rug out from under a lot of characters' feet and add an inordinate amount of darkness and maturity to the story.

At its core, Twilight is the story of teenage star-crossed lovers (even though Edward is over a hundred years old), a sort of Romeo and Juliet in a world where vampires and werewolves exist. Losing their fathers early on would drastically change the dynamic of their romance.

If Charlie had died, Bella would have lost her innocence, shattering her image as a delicate damsel in distress. Not to mention, without a father in the picture, she would have no reason to stay in Forks. On the other hand, the loss of Carlisle would have plunged Edward into deeper sadness, darkening his already melancholic character and potentially straining his romance with Bella.

On top of that, the arcs of the two main characters would have too little room for development if both fathers were to die tragically. The death of parents tends to make children grow up and toughen up abruptly. So already in the first movie, Edward and Bella would become the people they are supposed to grow into in the course of the future installments.

Besides, if just one hair would fall from the heads of the two Twilight father figures, our hearts would be broken for years. They are too precious, right?