Jordan Peele is bringing a new iteration of The Twilight Zone to life, which will debut on CBS All Access on April 1st with two episodes. The series will continue on Thursday, April 11th and will deliver new episodes on a weekly basis, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
The original series was created by Rod Serling and ran from 1959 to 1964, with Serling serving as the series’ host and narrator as well. Peele previously confirmed that he would adopt a similar role to serve as the new series’ host.
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The concept was turned into a feature film in 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie, with the series also returning to the small screen in 1985 and in 2002, with all iterations of the series bringing audiences horrifying and self-contained tales of terror. The Twilight Zone‘s morality tales and varied subject matter helped set the standard for series like Tales From the Darkside, Amazing Stories, and Tales From the Crypt.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Luke Kirby (The Deuce), and Ike Barinholtz (The Oath) would all star in episodes. Previous casting announcements have included John Cho, Greg Kinnear, Sanaa Lathan, Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Scott, Alison Tolman, Jacob Tremblay, Jessica Williams, DeWanda Wise, and Steven Yeun.
Jordan Peele’s Get Out became a landmark moment for the horror genre, which is typically overlooked by critics and audiences at large, with the filmmaker using the genre to shine a light on social issues in new ways. The film went on to become one of the most praised films of the year, ultimately scoring Peele an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. With Twilight Zone often incorporating morality tales into its narratives, Peele seemed like the perfect choice to helm this reboot, though he was apprehensive to accept the gig.
“I was terrified,” Peele previously shared with Variety. “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.”
The other call came from producing partner Simon Kinberg.
“The realization, for me, was that it was an opportunity to attempt to continue with Serling’s mission,” Peele admitted. “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.”
Check out the debut of the new Twilight Zone on April 1st.
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