David Cronenberg Wants to Reunite Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

It’s been a decade since Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson starred in the fifth and final film of the Twilight saga, marking the end of a four-year era that catapulted them to fame. It also scarred them to a certain degree, as evidenced by all the bad things they’ve said about the franchise and phenomenon it caused since. But David Cronenberg is hoping that enough time has passed for them to have healed enough to reunite. Of course, plenty of directors would hope for such a casting coup, but few are as poised to make it a reality as Cronenberg: He directed Pattinson in Cosmopolis (2012) and Maps to the Stars (2014), and just worked with Stewart on Crimes of the Future, his first movie in eight years. (According to W critic Miriam Bale, the latter was the best film that premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.)

“Kristen and I had a great time and Rob and I had a great time,” Cronenberg told the film critic Jordan Ruimy when they were in Cannes last week. “For me, yeah, I can definitely think of a movie, or idea, that would be great to have them both together.” The idea came to him naturally: Pattinson was the one who introduced him to Stewart, who’d been on his radar for several years. “They have developed beautifully, separately, as actors,” he said. “Making arthouse movies and successfully carrying that off.”

If the pair is on board, it’ll be a few years before the reunion; Cronenberg first wants to finish up his next film, which has yet to be announced. Still, he’s clearly put thought into the potential project—including how the hugely passionate Twilight fanbase would react. “It might be problematic since fans might expect a certain kind of relationship and that would get in the way of creating new characters for them,” he said. “So, I have a strange feeling that might be problematic, so it’s only theoretical for now.” Fans may be disappointed to hear that the film “definitely” wouldn’t be for those expecting another Twilight, but that would no doubt be music to Stewart and Pattinson’s ears. When the latter was once asked if he’d stolen anything from set, for example, he replied, “my dignity.”