Following the success of Nick Bilton's book Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal, Lionsgate has optioned to turn the tale into a television series. Bilton, a columnist and reporter for The New York Times, will be tasked with writing the screenplay while Allison Shearmur will executive produce.

Rumors surfaced back in October that Hollywood executives were showing interest in bringing the story to the big screen but truth be told, it is likely best suited for a multi-episode television series given the sheer amount of history associated with the microblogging platform's origins.

Shearmur said The Social Network, the history of rival social network Facebook, was a perfect film but this series will be different. The series will provide a longer view of the gamesmanship and personal sacrifices made by a group of people that are building a company that will change the way people communicate.

Kevin Geggs, Chairman of the Lionsgate Television Group, essentially echoed those sentiments. He pointed out that Bilton's book has all the elements of a great drama with its complex characters, high-stakes power struggles and betrayed friendships.

It's worth pointing out, however, that just because Lionsgate has optioned the book, that doesn't mean we are guaranteed a series. But given the interest in the story thus far, it's pretty likely that we will at least get a pilot out of the deal if nothing else.

No word yet on when the first episode will be ready.