'Twilight' saga to continue after 'Breaking Dawn - Part 2,' says Lionsgate CEO

Bad news for husbands and boyfriends eagerly anticipating the impending finish of the "Twilight" saga with the arrival of "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" on November 16th. It ain't over yet. Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer, whose company recently acquired "Twilight" producers Summit Entertainment, says that  given the success of the franchise "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" is likely not the last that viewers will see of the "Twilight-verse." Oh, good.
 
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Feltheimer said that he anticipates "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" to exceed the $700 million dollar box office haul of the last film, adding that his company would find it difficult not to see "ongoing value" in the billion-dollar teen vampire franchise, considering that the quality of the series has not diminished. He's completely justified in arguing for more "Twilight" based on the financial success of the series, but to argue his point based on the quality of the films is almost laughable. Critically, each successive film in the "Twilight Saga" has been less well received than the last.
 
Feltheimer's comments open a floodgate of speculation about what may come next for the franchise. Lionsgate does have a slight issue in that there are no more Stephanie Meyer novels left to adapt. One could definitely make the argument that this is a good thing; the quality of the movies could only improve without Meyer's shoddy prose and storytelling fouling the well. A story being well written and being aimed at young adults need not be mutually exclusive.
 
That said, the series might not even continue on film. A source within Lionsgate suggested to the LA Times that the "Twilight" saga might even be headed to the small screen. The studio's large TV production wing would be well-equipped to produce it and networks would be falling over one another for a chance to have a "Twilight" spin-off on one of their channels. When pressed about a "Twilight" TV series, Feltheimer sounded hopeful.
 
It's an interesting spot for Lionsgate to be in. How do you continue a franchise after its intended end? Do they continue with the movie series or move to television? No matter where the franchise ends up, it's very likely that the young stars of "Twilight" would not be involved in any spin-off or continuation unless they are already contracted to do so. Both Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have promising film careers ahead of them,  and after five films the prospect of more vampire-werewolf drama is the last thing they need right now.
 

Pattinson has two decidedly adult roles on the horizon, "Bel Ami" and "Cosmopolis" with enigmatic director David Cronenberg. For him to continue with or return to the "Twilight-verse" at this point would be detrimental to the young actor's career. Stewart is in a similar boat with her starring role in Walter Salles' adaptation of Jack Keroac's "On the Road" set to redfine the trajectory of her own career.

Which only leaves only T Laut... or is it Tay-Dog? Shirt-averse Taylor Lautner has not yet enjoyed the same success as his co-stars outside of the franchise (you saw "Abduction," right?). Is there a place for him in the continuing "Twilight" saga? At the end of the series, Jacob the werewolf bonds with Edward and Bella's daughter Renesmee. The story of a teenage werewolf and a vampire baby would certainly make for odd television, but it's a foregone conclusion that "Twilight" fans would tune-in to "The Jacob and Renesmee Show."