With Twilight still selling plenty of books, a reboot or sequel is inevitable. While there are many actors to consider if fans were recasting Twilight for today, it's also fun to imagine which actors and actresses would have played the main roles if the movie had been made in the 1950s.
The 1950s was in some ways the Golden Age of Hollywood, with many of the silver screen's most iconic actors like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe at their professional zenith during this period. Some of them are obvious choices for a theoretical 1950s Twilight franchise, but there are many odd and perhaps not obvious choices as well.
Aro: Alec Guinness
Michael Sheen brought a menacing if kooky charm to the role of Aro, the head of the ancient Volturi clan, the primary coven in the world of the series. Sinister yet impeccably British, Sheen proved to be a memorable villain in the Twilight franchise.
Alec Guinness is known mainly for his venerable turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the legendary Jedi Master from Star Wars. Guinness had a long career playing offbeat roles in movies before that, including The Man in the White Suit and The Ladykillers. With his noble bearing but comedic sensibility, he would have been a great choice in the 50s.
Victoria: Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth is probably best known to modern audiences for her brief but integral role in The Shawshank Redemption, one of the most philosophical movies ever. She would have been a great choice to play Victoria, one of the Volturi played first by Rachelle LeFevre and then by Bryce Dallas Howard in the movies.
With her iconic red hair and magnetic personality, she would have made for an interesting Victoria, who at the beginning of the story is on the hunt for Bella Swan. Hayworth is ideally suited to play this antagonist as she became famous for playing femme fatales in such classics as Gilda and The Lady from Shanghai.
Jasper: Marlon Brando
Jasper Cullen is the adoptive brother of Edward, played by Jackson Rathbone in the movies. Charismatic and somewhat of a loner, he would have been the ideal role for Marlon Brando in the 1950s.
Brando emerged as one of the most important actors of his generation in movies like On The Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, in which he played Stanely, one of his most intimidating characters. Brando would have been a good fit for a lot of roles in the series, but Jasper is the perfect character for the actor's signature smoldering intensity.
Rosalie: Grace Kelly
Nikki Reed played the self-assured and confident Rosalie in the Twilight movies. With her cold beauty and vaguely smug demeanor, Rosalie was the one member of the family who possessed a regal bearing.
Rosalie possesses a lot of beauty and class that would have been ideal for Grace Kelly. Kelly, an actress known for some of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies ever, like Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, would later become the Princess of Monaco. Kelly always brought a patrician bearing to her roles, which made her a natural for the somewhat cold characters she played in the Hitchcock movies. She would have been an ideal Rosalie.
Alice: Audrey Hepburn
Ashley Greene played Alice in all of the Twilight films and whose premonitions prove vital in the fight to save Edward, Bella, and their daughter. Greene brought a winning mixture of winsomeness and vitality to Alice, who was always there when Bella needed her.
Audrey Hepburn's effervescent personality is in many ways in sharp contrast to the cool demeanor of Kelly's screen persona, which would have made her ideal for Alice Cullen. Alice shares some physical characteristics with Hepburn such as her pixie haircut and wispy frame. More importantly, Hepburn can convincingly embody Alice's steadfast loyalty and sunny optimism as the beloved actress successfully showcased in some of her best movies, including Roman Holiday and Sabrina.
Esme: Dorothy Dandridge
Esme was played by Elizabeth Reaser in the movies and was the de factor mother to Twilight's central vampire family. The Cullen children are all adopted from various backgrounds and points in history by Carlisle and Esme Cullen.
Actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge would have brought the warmth and spirit of Esme to the screen back in the 1950s. According to Biography, Dandridge was the first African American woman to be nominated for Best Actress at the 1954 Academy Awards for Carmen Jones, her breakout role after getting her start as a singer.
Carlisle: Harry Belafonte
Carlisle is a doctor in the story, and his compassion not only saves Esme's life in the late 19th century but eventually the lives of his children. As played by Peter Facinelli, Carlisle is the franchise's sturdy bedrock who never wavers in his love and loyalty to his family.
Dorothy Dandridge's co-star in Carmen Jones was the singer, activist, and actor Harry Belafonte, who would have conveyed the poise and compassion of Carlisle Cullen to the franchise. Belafonte brought a great deal of life and energy to his roles in movies and television, so he would be a perfect fit for the Cullen family patriarch.
Jacob: Jim Thorpe
As one of the three major players in the central love triangle, Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe is one of the franchise's most important characters. As played by Taylor Lautner, Jacob possessed a captivating combination of strength and vulnerability.
Sadly, the vast majority of Native American roles were still played by white actors in the 1950s. That makes casting for Jacob in this period difficult, but one possibility is Jim Thrope. According to ESPN, Thorpe was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal and would later become an actor. Thorpe was active as an actor through the 1930s and 1940s and even had a movie made of his life in 1951, titled Jim Thorpe - All American. Thorpe only had a cameo in the movie, but if Twilight had been made in the early 50s, he would have made for a good Jacob.
Edward: James Dean
Robert Pattinson became a star when he played the role of the sensitive and shiny vampire Edward Cullen in the five Twilight films. Pattinson brought a fiery rebelliousness and wounded sensitivity that charmed legions of fans and inspired countless imitations.
James Dean is a screen legend who also conveyed a masculine vulnerability and bewitching mystique in Rebel Without a Cause, the 1955 Nicholas Ray classic in which he played Jim Stark. His moody personality and manifest good looks make Dean ideal for Edward Cullen. The actor made a brief but indelible mark in Hollywood with roles in Giant and East of Eden. He passed away in 1955 at the age of 24, the result of a deadly car crash.
Bella: Natalie Wood
Bella is a beautiful and complex person in Twilight, torn between not only Edward and Jacob but also wanting to be both human and a vampire. It's no wonder Kristin Stewart became a star because of her the complexity and pathos she brought to the role.
Natalie Wood would have been a great choice in the 1950s for the role. She co-starred with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, one of her best movies, as Judy. Popular and attractive, she falls in love with Jim Stark, a boy on the outs in every sense in the very regimented social scene of the 1950s. Their dynamic was similar to Bella and Edward's, and Wood would have brought a cool contrast to Dean's fiery demeanor.