'Let Me In' director Matt Reeves steps into 'The Twilight Zone'
Rod Serling's greatest creation is heading back to the bigscreen
Will they use 'Twilight Zone' creator Rod Serling's image in some way in the new 'Twilight Zone' movie? I sort of hope they do.
There are little movie trivia facts that I love to trot out in certain conversations just because I love the reactions from people when they hear them. For example, whenever 1983's "Twilight Zone: The Movie" comes up, I love to point out that the original plan wasn't to make an anthology film. Instead, they considered telling one story and simply branding it with the name "Twilight Zone" to kick off a series of films.
The script they were going to use for the film was "Miracle Mile." Yes, the same "Miracle Mile" that eventually got made with Anthony Edwards as the lead. That was very nearly the first "Twilight Zone" movie, and I wonder what would have happened if that had been the approach.
It sounds like the new Warner Bros. feature is returning to the concept of one film, one story, and they've been developing a script by Jason Rothenberg for a while now, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, and Michael Ireland producing for their company Appian Way. We've heard a lot of speculation about who would direct the film, but it appears they've finally made their choice, and I think it's a pretty great decision.
Matt Reeves, director of "Cloverfield" and "Let Me In," is going to direct the film, with current plans set for him to start shooting during the summer of 2012.
I'm glad to see Reeves land a job like this. After "Let Me In," I feel like he should have gotten a huge bump, and we've seen his name in the mix for some of the big jobs around town. He was one of the directors we saw in the running for "Superman," and also for "Wolverine," but this feels like the best possible match for him. I'm curious to see if they try to use either Rod Serling or a Serling stand-in to introduce the movie, but more than that, I'm hoping that the emphasis in a "Twilight Zone" film is on storytelling and the pure pleasures of what you can do to an audience with a well-told story.
There are a number of projects Reeves is already attached to, including a new adaptation of the short story that was the inspiration for John Carpenter's "They Live" and an adaptation of the hit novel "The Passage," but considering how many people were fighting over this job, I'm guessing this becomes top priority. Whatever the case, I'm glad to see someone doing something with the "Twilight Zone" name, and I'm really pleased with the potential now that Reeves is on the case.
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October 15, 2011 at 5:12PM EST Reply to CommentI think Matt Reeves is an excellent choice. People criticized "Cloverfield" for its shaky cam without understanding that it was meant to be that way due to the "found footage" style. Now that there are a whole slew of those films, people should re-think "Cloverfield" and see what a complex and intelligent way that film was put together. "Let Me In" transcended its remake status by being more than a retread, but a smart, heartfelt take on that story. I'm wary of the one story "Twilight Zone" concept, though, because it was always an anthology. However, if they do make a series of TZ films, then that could be interesting.
filmverse.wordpress.com
drew It wasn't an anthology each week, though. Each episode was just one story, and that seems like a strong way to approach the film franchise. Why not just let talented filmmaker tell fantastic stories under the "Twilight Zone" banner?
October 15, 2011 at 8:45PM ESTMandiP
October 15, 2011 at 9:03PM EST Reply to CommentOkay...Now it's the Twilight Zone. Is the writer aware that Real Steel IS also a Twilight Zone story. I admit there there are TONS of Twilight Zones that deserve the one story treatment and I hope this director gets a good one. The problem with Cloverfield for me was the convoluted "get the girl" story in New York when it should have been an "I'm outa here" story with a "sorry, she's gone but.." and it was TOO short. Otherwise, I liked it.
Rev. Slappy
October 15, 2011 at 9:39PM EST Reply to CommentI haven't seen the 83 film in a really long time but I remember the Miller and Dante segments being the really good ones and the Landis and Spielberg parts being the worst. I agree though, why not let great filmmakers play around in this format?
Shaun
October 15, 2011 at 9:52PM EST Reply to CommentNot familiar with this guy, and I was hoping for Nolan, but I'll trust Drew's judgment. I like the idea of a series of movies, every year or two, focusing on a single TZ type of story.
Bring in a different director each time... Nolan, Cuaron, Spielberg, Del Toro, Peter Jackson... DAMN! That could be loads of fun. Maybe really successful too, if the stories are strong enough (And worthy of the TZ banner).
I guess the only question is, original, all-new stories each time, or mix in some retellings of TZ classics? I'd prefer all-new, but there are some classic tales that could make for fascinating retellings/reimaginings
Just keep Michael Bay far, far away from this.
Monterey Jack
October 15, 2011 at 10:40PM EST Reply to CommentSomething like this should be the "one a year" Halloweentime franchise, not Saw or Paranormal Activity. Keep the films short (under 90 minutes) to maintain the "punch" of the classic TV episodes and maybe even hire a Serling style "host" to introduce each film. Someone at AICN suggested Lance Reddick (who plays Broyles on Fringe), and he would be a great choice...he has that grave-yet-playful intonation that would set up the following tale perfectly. And he obviously wouldn't cost that much to hire for likely a day's work per year.
Laura Stewart
October 16, 2011 at 1:37AM EST Reply to CommentHuge fan of Reeves, so this is delightful news. I had a few other directors in mind, namely Todd Field. What ever happened to him? I don't see Creed of Violence happening anytime soon, considering DiCaprio is attached to 234032498 other films.
Anyway, it's good to see Reeves career taking off especially after the terrifyingly good 'Let Me In'.
That Werewolf Guy
October 16, 2011 at 5:28AM EST Reply to CommentI like this choice. Reeves is a talented filmmaker, whose personality won't overshadow the movie. (Nothing against some other director's on the shortlist, but TWILIGHT ZONE should be TWILIGHT ZONE and not THE NEW CHRISTOPHER NOLAN MOVIE.)
KlarkKent
October 16, 2011 at 4:17PM EST Reply to CommentInteresting. This reminds me of what they were planning with "Devil" being the first of a series of unrelated genre films before Samalamadingdong's name became box-office poison. I think something like that could be great if they're careful with the stories they make so that they match the Twilight Zone feel and aesthetic. Just find a great script, attach a great up and coming filmmaker, maybe try to get JJ Abrams as a hands-off producer for them and put out one a year around Halloween. (Nice call on that last bit, Jack.) Personally I'd like to see an actual creator or writer attached to introduce them and tie the series together, but I realize there aren't many of those that hold the right panache or skills needed. Lance Reddick is amazing, by the way. I could think of a lot of worse choices.
That Werewolf Guy I never understood that Shyamalamadingdong "joke". His name isn't funny enough to mock it and and writing Shyamalan is so much shorter than the ding dong version of it.
October 17, 2011 at 3:39AM ESTKlarkKent It's because his name is very reminiscent of the infamous doo-wop term. Have you ever listened to music from the early 50s? Regardless, I don't remember many people starting to mock his name until he started making movies worth mocking.
October 22, 2011 at 3:02PM ESTZoeFan
October 16, 2011 at 4:22PM EST Reply to CommentThis is great news. However, the one point I'd like to make is for a future project without much of a box office history, there has been TONS of hype behind this... why?