Robert Pattinson Talks Trash about Twilight Copycats
Robert Pattinson definitely does not have anything nice to say about those he thinks “copied” the movie franchise that has made him world famous. He doesn’t specifically mention any one copycat in particular, but most folks are assuming he’s talking about other successful vampires in entertainment, like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. But who knows for sure. All we do know is that he doesn’t like copycats.
Pattinson said, "It’s like that Coke versus Pepsi thing, and how Coke just said, ‘There’s a reason everyone compares themselves to us.’ Twilight was the original and everybody’s trying to copy it. They’re all just trying to jump aboard the Twilight train."
How the hell is Twilight "the original?" The original what? The original vampire romance? Nope, that was done before. I’m confused. Him saying "everybody’s trying to copy it" is also way off. Who is everybody? Well, let’s take a look at the two big popular vampire shows:
The Vampire Diaries: These books came out LONG before the Twilight books. The show came out after Twilight, and sure, the show’s release probably had something to do with Twilight making vampires popular again. But does that mean that The Vampire Diaries is copying Twilight? No. It just means the show has good timing. They are two separate stories, neither is copying the other.
True Blood: Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse books also came out long before the Twilight books, so clearly the books aren’t copying anything. Like The Vampire Diaries, the show aired after Twilight became huge. Once again, it’s not copying Twilight, it’s just timing. The folks behind both shows know that with the current vampire craze, this is the perfect time for a vampire show.
So yeah, neither show is "copying" Twilight. Twilight made vampires popular again, so many authors and filmmakers are choosing now to release vampire books and vampire movies. People are hungry for vampires, making now the perfect time for vampire books, movies, shows…etc. They aren’t copying Twilight, they are simply doing what the general population demands – more vampires.
It happens every few years, vampires come in waves. Vampires will be SUPER popular for a while (like when Anne Rice’s books came out) and then they will fade away into the darkness where we don’t hear from them again for a few years, then they become popular again… and on and on.
Clearly, Robert is clueless. These people aren’t copying Twilight, they are just surfing the latest vampire wave.
What do you think about what Robert said?
- Moonlight
Um, who on earth would copy Twilight? Since I haven’t heard of any other sparkly vampires I’m going to guess no one. Vampires have been a popular sub-genre of horror fiction for over a century and even Stephen King, the master of horror has written his own vampire book and short stories (and has vampires in the Dark Tower series as well).
There have been quite a few vampire series for young adults lately but that is just to be expected.
And lets not forget not only is True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse books, the series was adapted by Alan Ball who is also the creator of Six Feet Under, hardly someone who would copy something like Twilight.
Did he specifically say vampire series and movies? Perhaps he was talking about a certain type of young adult paranormal romance movies like Red Riding Hood, Beastly, and I Am Number Four. Critics have noted that these are very much in the Twilight mode. That’s what I assumed he meant, but I don’t know without more context.
Pattinson probably knows that True Blood and Vampire Diaries books were first published before Twilight. But Twilight was an enormous publishing phenomenon that boosted sales of other vampire properties and helped get a lot of projects in motion. There are always a lot of books, movies and TV shows on the back burner and when one takes off others are green lit. Including republication of Vampire Diaries books and the TVD TV series. (And some TVD fans were unhappy with how they gave television Stefan and Elena Edward and Bella’s hair.)
The latest vampire wave – the ya romantic vampire wave – has a lot to do with Twilight. (Same with the larger ya paranormal romance trend.) In the world of vampires, before the romance wave was the urban fantasy action wave largely stoked by the Buffy series. And the next one might be a vampire apocalypse wave inspired by The Strain or The Passage.
All of those books and movies in the last decade about boys who discover they have magical powers probably wouldn’t have happened without Harry Potter. Even some older properties, like The Dark Is Rising, were revived. And soon we’ll see more YA dystopia movies, which has a lot to do with the phenomenal success of The Hunger Games.
Fair is fair–TVD television series came out after the mega-success of TWILIGHT, and certainly contributed to the former getting made. However, I can see a bunch of other stories that can be termed copycat, including plenty of web series and novels as well as a few movies. Since he himself doesn’t name names, we cannot know precisely who it was he meant (although to be fair, I’d consider RED RIDING HOOD a pretty obvious one). Even the new season of YOUNG DRACULA has its own version of Edward and Bella (i.e. Vlad and Erin). Nothing like that really in the first two seasons, not really.
Oh Edward, you silly sparkling sprite.
Completely agree. Was Bram Stoker copying Stephanie Meyer when he wrote Dracula (one of the original vampire love stories if you ask me)? As for Twilight making vampires popular, yes, that might be true among the teens but what about the Van Helsing movie or the Underworld movie chain or the Blade movies. All around LONG before Twilight and all about… wait for it…. vampires!!!
I am writing a vampire book myself and the LAST thing I want it to be is a copy of Twilight.
I am writing a vampire book myself and the LAST thing I want it to be is a copy of Twilight.
Ironically, people seem to be interested in my forthcoming vampire book because it’s anything but a “paranormal romance”. The “Twilight” saga details a vampire couple’s courtship/newlywed phase. So what happens to a vampire couple 250 years after they marry? Normal humans succumb to infidelity and divorce after long-term relationships, so why shouldn’t vampires?
I love it when vampire stories rise to the top in popularity. For one who has lived as long as Robert, he should know better than to make such comments. He would fare better by being supportive of his genre. Twilight isn’t the only vampire show in town, it’s just the most popular at the moment. He should use the spotlight that’s shining down on him to bring out the more positive aspects of all vampire characters. Another positive use of this spotlight would be to talk about the real need for blood donors in our world and help save a life.
I too have written a vampire novel, but the market seems to be saturated in vampire novels so mine might just have to wait for the next wave. That’s okay, it gives me time to work on the sequels, LOL.
I gotta point out–THE VAMPIRE DIARIES as a t.v. series copied a lot from TWILIGHT. The lead looks like Kristen Stewart, for one thing (in the books she’s blonde). For another–werewolves! Those weren’t in the book series! Not to mention Stefan and Damon went from Rennaissance-Era Europeans to 19th century Americans (just like Jacob and Edward). All that business of elder vampires trying to manipulate the ‘good’ vampires, totally not present in the books.
And if we’re perfectly honest, there’ve been a lot of stories ripping off TWILIGHT in much the same way so many movies tried to copy STAR WARS in the 1980s (soooooo many).
- They look nothing alike. :) They are brunette… and that’s it.
- There are werewolves in the books. Tyler Smallwood was revealed as one.
Nothing in The Vampire Diaries was copied from Twilight. Sure, they switched things around and didn’t follow the books. But that’s how every single adaptation is. Take Blood Ties for example, they put WAY more focus on the vampire/human love triangle in the show than in the books. There wasn’t really a big issue in the books at all. Does that mean the show was copying Twilight? No… because it came out before Twilight.
Twilight is highly unoriginal, and you can find Twilight themes and ideas everywhere, because everyone has already done them. It’s not people copying Twilight.
I’m sorry, but when you look at the how the producers put together the television series it is very hard not to believe they were deliberately trying to “ride the coattails” of TWILIGHT. Just as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (the original) was clearly “inspired” by STAR WARS and several recent t.v. shows I can name are attempts to copy HOUSE.
Doesn’t mean THE VAMPIRE DIARIES can’t be any good (although it is waaayyyyy too much about pretty popular people in high school with zero acknowledgment anyone other teens exist for me) but in all fairly the show is copying from the movies. Having werewolves exist is not the same, for example, as the elaborate storyline about them as natural enemies etc. linked up to Native American legend no less.
Mind you, I can also think of lots of other copycats. RED RIDING HOOD is an obvious one. So are about half a dozen web series. All one has to do is see the number of vampire romances filling shelves at bookstores–they have their own section now!
It is not (at least imho) about having a vampire/human romance, but more about the feel of certain type of story–the budding young woman torn between two love interests at least one of whom is or becomes supernatural, the conflict between parents, the ‘soap opera’ flavor, the blend of sensuality and virginity, the small town setting with plenty of trees (not a coastal town, nor a desert town, nor one near a bayou, etc.), Frankly, the claim that there are no “Twilight” clones seems a baffling one to me! Even more frankly, seems to me like an attempt to simply find fault with an comment by an actor because of disliking the franchise of which he is the star.
Oh, and as to “Who would want to copy TWILIGHT?” asked above–producers who want to make money. Kind of a no-brainer, that one.
I really liked BLOOD TIES, btw. Mostly. Wandered over into CHARMED territory too often but the heart of the show was great!
I liked Blood Ties too. That show had some of the sexiest bite scenes I’ve ever seen.
I have to say that i agree kind of with that I mean they have adapted the book to be kinda like Twilight but The Vampire Diaries is an amazing TV series and it works soooooo……….
What is the big deal….?Surely you are all making enough money…… To be gracious shows so much more character… Oh Robert? What are you thinking? Comments like that show insecurity and can damage your reputation… The vampire diaries is far more superior… I mean rings that save lives…. Allow vampires to walk in daylight….. Vervain… Come on its far more original than twilight which I might add is flickering into obscurity…. Be happy for your fellow artists and support them… Who knows by doing so you may show that your maturing as a person and actor….. Good luck…
I am also writing a vampire book, and I am doin everthing that I can not to copy but it’s gettting kind of hard not to these past few weeks. I think that really Robert is just trying to stick up for and defend what h believes in and what is wrong with that, really?
I will destroy him if he ever says someing about the vampire diaries OR True blood! I mean, look at both shows, there is much more action in tvd and tb than in twilight! I like twilight, but i Love the vampire diaries and true blood.