"That's the signpost up ahead. Your next stop: The Twilight Zone." If you've been excited for Jordan Peele's new version of Rod Serling's legendary anthology series, then you'll be happy to know that the wait is almost over, and it's no joke!
According to IndieWire, during the Television Critics Association Press Tour, CBS All Access Executive Vice President of Original Content Julie McNamara announced a Monday, April 1st premiere date for Peele's The Twilight Zone series. And it looks to be no April Fool's Day joke, as the show's official Facebook account shared the April 1st date in a new image (see above).
IndieWire reveals that two new episodes will premiere on the streaming service on April 1st, although it's not yet known which episodes they will be.
The star-studded cast for the first season of the new Twilight Zone includes Adam Scott (who will appear in a new take on Richard Matheson's “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”), John Cho, Allison Tolman, Jacob Tremblay, Rhea Seehorn, Kumail Nanjiani, Steven Yeun, Luke Kirby, Greg Kinnear, Sanaa Lathan, Ike Barinholtz, and Taissa Farmiga.
Additionally, one of the directors for the series is Gerard McMurray (The First Purge, Burning Sands).
As previously reported, the new Twilight Zone series will be hosted and narrated by Peele, who shared his excitement for the new series while also honoring the original show's legacy in this statement (via EW):
“Rod Serling was an uncompromising visionary who not only shed light on social issues of his time, but prophesied issues of ours. I’m honored to carry on his legacy to a new generation of audiences as the gatekeeper of The Twilight Zone."
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are revealed, and in the meantime we have the previous press release and teaser video below:
Previous Press Release: CBS All Access, the CBS Television Network’s digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, today announced the latest addition to its original programming slate, THE TWILIGHT ZONE. The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films. Jordan Peele, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez will serve as executive producers for the series and collaborate on the premiere episode. Win Rosenfeld and Audrey Chon will also serve as executive producers.
“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,” said Jordan Peele, Executive Producer.
“‘The Twilight Zone’ was a touchstone in my life,” said Simon Kinberg, Executive Producer. “The opportunity to continue its lineage is a dream come true, and I’m so thrilled to be doing it with Jordan, Marco and the team at CBS All Access.”
“The original ‘The Twilight Zone’ bridged science-fiction, horror and fantasy together to explore human nature and provide social commentary in a way that audiences had never seen before,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President, Original Content, CBS All Access. “Under the auspices of Jordan Peele, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez, and with the creative freedom that the CBS All Access platform affords, this is an incredible opportunity to bring today’s audiences a modern reimagining of this iconic series.”
The original “The Twilight Zone” took viewers to another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. It was a journey into a wondrous land of imagination for five years on CBS, from 1959-1964. The godfather of sci-fi series, the show explored humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways conventional drama could not.