Get Out director Jordan Peele is preparing to re-enter The Twilight Zone with a reboot series aimed at the CBS All Access streaming service.
According to THR, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves announced during an earnings call that the network was in the process of developing a new version of the popular 1960s sci-fi/horror anthology series created by Rod Serling. The Twilight Zone reboot would be the latest show to join CBS’ slate of streaming-only programming that also includes Star Trek: Discovery, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions is behind the show. Marco Ramirez, who recently helmed Marvel’s The Defenders, will pen the script and serve as showrunner for the reboot.
The original series ran from 1959 to 1964 and told spooky stories about dystopia, alien invaders, adventures in space, killer dolls, nuclear holocausts, ruthless science experiments, the perils of racism, and much more. With these fantastic tales, Serling commented on Cold War society and the horrors of World War II. Most importantly, he captured the creepy side of American culture. In the world of The Twilight Zone, even the nicest of towns were no longer safe from the curiosities of the cruel alternate dimension.
The original series also featured some of the biggest genre writers of the time, including Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, and George Clayton Johnson. Serling wrote almost two-thirds of the scripts himself.
This isn’t the first time the show has been revived either. The Twilight Zone returned in 1983 as an anthology film directed by Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Joe Dante, and George Miller. A new series was greenlit in 1984 and ran from 1985 to 1989. It featured quite a few episodes by George R. R. Martin, as well as adaptations of stories by Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, and Arthur C. Clarke. Wes Craven and William Friedkin directed episodes of the series.
The second revival came in 2002. This series aired on UPN and was hosted by Forest Whitaker. It lasted only one season.
Let’s hope this new revival fares much better. No release date has been set and it’s unclear if the reboot is going straight to series or is just in development.
We’ll update you as soon as we hear more.