Lionsgate and Netflix's Animated Twilight Series 'Midnight Sun' Sets Los Angeles Production Run Beginning August 2026

The Twilight universe is returning, and this time it is animated. Lionsgate and Netflix are jointly producing Midnight Sun, a dark animated series that retells the iconic love story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from Edward's perspective, based on Stephenie Meyer's novel of the same name. With production currently in casting and pre-production and a filming window targeting August 2026 through May 2027 in Los Angeles, this is a high-profile, long-running animation production that will be staffing key creative and production roles over the coming months. For animation professionals, voice talent, and production crew based in or willing to relocate to Los Angeles, this is one of the more significant upcoming projects to have on your radar right now.

The creative team behind Midnight Sun carries serious franchise pedigree. Stephenie Meyer herself is on board as a producer, bringing the original author directly into the fold in a way that signals creative fidelity to the source material. The executive producing team is anchored by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, the duo behind Temple Hill Entertainment, which produced all five original Twilight feature films beginning with the 2008 Catherine Hardwicke-directed original. Their continued stewardship of the franchise is a meaningful continuity signal. Erik Feig, whose Picturestart banner has backed titles ranging from the Blumhouse-adjacent to prestige drama, rounds out the executive producer lineup. Sinead Daly serves as both showrunner and producer, a dual role that typically means she is deeply embedded in both the writers room and the day-to-day production operation. Daly will be the primary creative driver on the ground, which makes her office the key point of contact for crew pursuing department head conversations. Supervising Director Lynn Wang will oversee the animation direction across the series, a role that in long-form animation carries enormous influence over visual style, pipeline, and the overall scope of the art department's work.

Casting Director Melissa Kostenbauder is attached, with Casting Associate Jake Warnecke supporting. For talent agents, managers, and voice actors, Kostenbauder's office is your first call. Animated series built around beloved IP with this kind of franchise recognition tend to attract significant interest from on-camera talent seeking voice work, so the casting process here is likely to be competitive and closely watched by the industry.

The production sits at the intersection of two major entertainment players. Lionsgate, the studio that distributed and co-produced the original Twilight film saga, is co-producing alongside Netflix. That combination is notable for a few reasons. Netflix's involvement at the production company level, rather than simply as a distributor, suggests this is likely a straight-to-Netflix animated series with the kind of budget and episode commitment the streamer reserves for marquee IP. Netflix has aggressively expanded its adult-oriented and prestige animation slate in recent years, and a property with Twilight's global recognition fits that strategy cleanly. Lionsgate's co-production role also ensures that the franchise's existing rights holders remain central to the creative and financial structure. Together, the two companies signal a well-resourced production rather than a scrappy indie animation project.

Midnight Sun is scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles, California, with a tentative production window running from August 2026 through May 2027. That nine-month production run is characteristic of a full animated series order rather than a limited event series, suggesting this is being built with scale and longevity in mind. Los Angeles remains the undisputed hub of American animation production, with deep infrastructure across every stage of the pipeline including voice recording, storyboard and visual development, post-production, and VFX. Major animation facilities, recording studios, and the industry's deepest bench of animation talent are all concentrated here, which means the production will have access to a robust local crew base. Because the project is an animated series rather than a live-action shoot, the relevant crew needs differ substantially from a traditional television production. The hiring pipeline will prioritize voice casting, storyboard artists, character designers, background painters, animators, voice directors, dialogue editors, composers, and the full post-production pipeline that animation requires. That said, traditional production roles including a line producer, production coordinator, and production accountant will also be central to keeping a nine-month Los Angeles operation on schedule and on budget.

As an animated production rooted in IP that has generated billions in box office revenue and maintained a devoted global fanbase for nearly two decades, Midnight Sun arrives with a built-in audience and the creative ambition to match. The dark tone signaled in the logline, combined with the choice to explore Edward's internal perspective, suggests this is being positioned as a mature, emotionally complex series rather than a straightforward adaptation aimed at younger audiences. That creative direction will shape everything from the visual style to the voice performances to the musical score, and it makes the project particularly interesting for animation professionals who gravitate toward character-driven, tonally ambitious work.

Production is still roughly a year out, which means the staffing pipeline is in its early stages, but that timeline also means the window to get in front of the right people is open right now. The full listing for Midnight Sun on ProductionList.com includes production contacts, office addresses, and the complete crew list as it is updated, along with any scheduling changes as the August 2026 cameras-up date approaches. If animation is your world, bookmark this one and check back regularly.

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