‘Twilight’ on Television? Lions Gate Boss Certainly Hopes So!

Parting with a favorite movie series can be such sweet sorrow, unless a film executive decides to bring it back and milk it for all it's worth.

Jon Feltheimer, the chief executive officer of Lions Gate Entertainment, which recently acquired the Twilight franchise-maker Summit Entertainment, revealed that he's hoping the series can continue to turn a profit for the company, and even hinted at the possibility of a television series.

It's hard for me to imagine a movie that does $700 million-plus doesn't have ongoing value, Feltheimer said, according to a Los Angeles Times report. It's an amazing franchise that they have done a great job of maintaining with absolutely no deterioration. So the simple answer is 'Boy I hope so.'

There is some untarnished Twilight material available. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella, which was published in 2010, follows the story of one of the newborn vampires in the series' third book. There is also the unfinished draft of Midnight Sun, Twilight from Edward's point of view, which is posted on author Stephenie Meyer's Web site.

But even with all the available material, how do we know Twilight would translate to the small screen?

History shows that TV adaptations rarely live up to the success of the films that spawned them.

Such was the case with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The movie was well-received with its universal crazy family theme to which so many could relate, but its TV spinoff, My Big Fat Greek Life, managed seven episodes before getting the ax.

The Clueless series spinoff fared better, surviving for three seasons.

Still, creating yet another adaptation of Meyer's supernaturally popular book series could call for storyline inconsistencies that might not sit well with its devoted audience.

There's also already a plethora of vampires on television. The Vampire Diaries is still going strong on its Thursday night slot on The CW. HBO's wildly popular series True Blood was approved for its fifth season in August 2011. Would television-vampire-watchers welcome yet another set of bloodsuckers into the mix?

And who would play Bella and Edward?

It's hard to imagine Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson giving up successful movie careers to bring their intense performances to the small screen. So that means replacements, and heaven help the casting director charged with that thankless task. No matter how talented a new Bella and Edward might be, the odds of audiences accepting anyone but Stewart or Pattinson in the roles are slim to none.

READ ALSO: Elijah Wood and Peter Jackson Talk 'The Hobbit' Family