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The Twilight Zone: Production Begins on Jordan Peele's Revival (VIDEO)
With Academy Award winning screenwriter Jordan Peele (Get Out) officially taking on the mantle of host/narrator from original series creator Rod Serling, CBS All Access has announced that production has begun on their The Twilight Zone revival. In the announcement video that follows, the streaming service does its best to connect the legacy of Serling's 1959-1964 run with the current project co-produced by Peele, Simon Kinberg, and CBS Television Sudios – with a curious onset tease of a diner and some info on who's directing. Hmmm…
"Too many times this year it's felt we were living in a twilight zone, and I can't think of a better moment to reintroduce it to modern audiences." – Jordan Peele
Peele's The Twilight Zone received an official series order from CBS All Access in December 2017, with the project being co-produced between Monkeypaw Productions and Genre Films. Peele and Kinberg will executive produce alongside Win Rosenfeld, Audrey Chon, Carol Serling, Rick Berg and Greg Yaitanes.
Interestingly enough, Peele wasn't just reluctant to step into Serling's hosting role for the updated series – he was hesitant to take on the The Twilight Zone revival itself. In an extended feature article/interview with Variety, Peele explained his initial resistance:
"I was terrified. Why would I ever jump into the most established, pristine shoes in all of the genre? I could rip 'Twilight Zone' off and call it something different and not be compared to Rod Serling. So I stepped away from it. And then several months later I got another call."
Peele would go on to embrace the project, and the chance to continue the groundwork set by Serling's original series:
"The realization, for me, was that it was an opportunity to attempt to continue with Serling's mission. If we approach it without ego and sort of bow to Serling, that will hopefully suffice for our fellow 'Twilight Zone' fans but also bring back a show that I think is needed right now. Because it's a show that has always helped us look at ourselves, hold a mirror up to society."