'Twilight Saga' returning with five short films on Facebook

Just when you thought The Twilight Saga was over, it’s back with sparkly new skin.

Two years after the release of Breaking Dawn Part 2, Lions Gate announced on Tuesday that it’s financing five short films that will be based on Twilight characters that will premiere exclusively on Facebook next year. A group of female panelists will choose from five aspiring female directors to direct the films, titled The Storytellers — New Creative Voices of ‘The Twilight Saga.

The panel, according to The Times, includes Bella herself, Kristen Stewart; The Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer; Kate Winslet; Octavia Spencer; Julie Bowen; Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke; producer Cathy Schulman; and Frozen co-director Jennifer Lee. However, none of the films will star the original cast.

In an interview with The Times, Lions Gate vice chairman Michael Burns said this is just the beginning of the studio’s relationship with Facebook.

“This is the just the beginning—a template, if you will,” Burns added. “You can probably guess what might be coming next.”

What exactly that means he didn’t say, but he gave no reason to rule out the social network eventually distributing its own feature-length films. The news comes just a day after The Weinstein Company announced the equally unconventional release of the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which will be released in IMAX theaters and on Netflix simultaneously.

The project is backed by Women in Film, which aims to encourage female directors. The project comes just after a concerning study was released that women are still severely underrepresented in Hollywood, both in acting roles and behind the lens.