Robert Pattinson Accidentally Starts Vampire Wars

A quote from [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] star Robert Pattinson came out last week, and it’s causing quite the uproar around the Interwebz. While we don’t usually post things like this, we just had to share (and chuckle) with the rest of our Truebie friends:

“It’s like that Coke versus Pepsi thing, and how Coke just said ‘There’s a reason everyone compares themselves to us,’” he said, according to Web site Hollywood Life. “‘Twilight’ was the original and everybody’s trying to copy it. They’re all just trying to jump aboard the ‘Twilight’ train.” (via NYPost)

Now, in the interest of full disclosure I have to admit that I haven’t watched any of the [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] movies and only made it halfway through book 2 before giving up on the series. In other words, my loyalties do not lie in that direction.

This quote is making headlines on various media and fansites, many of whom are claiming that Pattinson is dissing [easyazon-link asin=”B001FB4W0W”]True Blood[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link asin=”B002JVWR9U”]The Vampire Diaries[/easyazon-link]. The source of the quote is an interview with Pattinson and Taylor Lautner on German TV network Viva and, from my perspective, it seems like he’s referring more to the books and movies that originated after [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] in order to take advantage of the current vampire phenomenon than those that existed before.

For easy reference, the [easyazon-link asin=”0441018238″]Sookie Stackhouse novels[/easyazon-link] were launched in 2001; [easyazon-link asin=”B0042FZVSA”]The Vampire Diaries[/easyazon-link] way back in 1991; while the [easyazon-link asin=”B000QRIGLW”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] book series didn’t arrive until 2005.

It was the Fall of 2008 when vampires hit the mainstream in a sort of perfect storm of circumstances: [easyazon-link asin=”B001FB4W0W”]True Blood[/easyazon-link] premiered on HBO in September, the first [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] movie was released in November, and both book series were on the New York Times best seller lists. Suddenly, vampires were everywhere and, yes, many people decided to jump on the bandwagon to supply us with more vampire-themed entertainment. I’d say this explosion of interest was instrumental in the CW greenlighting [easyazon-link asin=”B002JVWR9U”]The Vampire Diaries[/easyazon-link] as a TV series, although the novels had been out for almost 20 years at that point.

Was [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] the originator of the current vampire craze? No, but it certainly played a large part in making vampires mainstream along with [easyazon-link asin=”B001FB4W0W”]True Blood[/easyazon-link] and the [easyazon-link asin=”0441018238″]Sookie Stackhouse novels[/easyazon-link]. I really don’t think Pattinson meant to diss either [easyazon-link asin=”B001FB4W0W”]True Blood[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link asin=”B002JVWR9U”]The Vampire Diaries[/easyazon-link], but instead was referring to the plethora of other vampire media that has come out in the last couple of years. And, you know, he is part of a billion-dollar franchise, so we might forgive him for feeling some sense of ownership over the phenomenon.

Pattinson is right on one thing, though: [easyazon-link asin=”B001P5HRMI”]Twilight[/easyazon-link] can lay claim to the original “sparkly vampires”. 😉

What’s your take on the hullabaloo? Much ado about nothing or does Pattinson have his dates mixed up?