What if MTV Films had made 'Twilight'?

July 8, 3:12 AMTwilight ExaminerAmanda Bell

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We've all heard the story of how one studio's "pass" is another one's treasure. That is, how Summit Entertainment picked up on the gold that was the option to produce Twilight and took it off of a hesitant Paramount MTV Film's hands (see here).

Needless to say, it was a fruitful decision, and one which Twilight fans are no less pleased about.

Yet, one has to wonder: how would Twilight have turned out if it remained in MTV's hands?

We all know MTV has a certain sensational knack for film promotion, but what does their resume of film production tell us about what we'd have seen?

Among their vast library of film creations are the following (in chronological order): Joe's Apartment, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Dead Man On Campus, Varsity Blues, 200 Cigarettes, Election, The Wood, Love Song, The Original Kings Of Comedy, Save The Last Dance, Pootie Tang, Zoolander, Orange County, Better Luck Tomorrow, Crossroads, Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, Jackass: The Movie, The Fighting Temptations, Tupac: Resurrection, The Perfect Score, Napoleon Dyamite, Hustle & Flow, Coach Carter, Murderball, The Longest Yard, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', AEon Flux, Jackass Number Two, All You've Got, Freedom Writers, Blades Of Glory, Beneath, How She Move, Stop-Loss, The Foot Fist Way, and Dance Flick.

Forthcoming of their films are Love, Sweet Relief, The Dirt, The Lost Girls, The Suffering, Rocky Horror, The Warriors, Have Gun-Will Travel, The Last Airbender, and Who Is Helga Buuuuurp?.

A review of these titles will reflect the niche that MTV has seemingly carved out for itself. One portion of that protocol might be films that are music-related. You'll notice that there are many of such included in the above list. Also, and most obviously, films that derive from their franchise television series are among the repeated categorical inclusions. Yet, there are some anomalies in there as well. For instance, if you've ever seen 200 Cigarettes or Stop-Loss, you may be surprised to note that they are made by the same production company that brought us Zoolander or Dance Flick.

One thing remains constant and certain from the list - MTV picks up on what is popular and brings it to life on the big screen.

That said, it is a wonder why they would let Twilight slip through the cracks.

Nonetheless, it'd be curious to see what MTV Films' version of Twilight would have been.

Predictably, the cast would have been quite different. Namely, the main actors in the film would have probably been more on the line of Chad Michael Murphy or Chace Crawford than the then-semi-unknown Robert Pattinson, and Bella would have been a media darling such as Miley Cyrus (if she could be pried away from Disney long enough) or Lauren Conrad, perhaps, instead of Kristen Stewart. Similarly, the green and gritty castmates we love to watch collect on their promise and potential would probably be ignored for a more marketable group.

Hindsight is twenty-twenty and retrospect makes all things clear. No offense to the clearly capable MTV Films, but it's a good thing Summit Entertainment had the clever foresight to recognize the potential of Twilight and that they are bringing us the story instead. Don't you think?

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