Movies
Warners Planning Major ‘Twilight Zone’ Feature!
Next to Aliens, the one thing I love more than anything in the world is Rod Sterling’s “The Twilight Zone” TV series that ran from 1959-1964. The revamped show sucked, and the 1983 feature film is pretty much garbage, although I have a soft spot for “It’s a Good Life” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”
I’ve been waiting in extreme anticipation for Warner Bros. Pictures to move on the new Twilight Zone feature in hopes that they take it seriously. This afternoon Variety revealed a shortlist of directors in talks, with two of the three surpassing my wildest expectations.
While the ’83 version had four directors, this project will feature a single storyline and one director.
Mutual interest is brewing between WB and at least three individuals: Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay and Alfonso Cuaron, with Nolan being the current frontrunner. Rupert Wyatt, whose Rise of the Planet of the Apes drew rave reviews and more than $400 million worldwide, is a dark horse.
Nolan, the brains and brawn behind Inception, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and the forthcoming Dark Knight Rises, needs a new franchise to latch onto. With his out-of-the-box directing style, he’d be the perfect choice.
Cuaron is another fantastic name, having directed the stunning Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for Warners.
The only name on the list that makes me cringe is Bay, who can deliver on a spectacular level, but hasn’t told a good story since Bad Boys II back in 2003. The Transformers films show he’d rather make a big paycheck than deliver a darker, more Bay-ish pic.
Who would you choose?
Rand Ravich and Jason Rothenberg penned the script, and while plot details are under wraps, sources say the film would be a single storyline that touches on several themes from the Rod Sterling TV show.
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychological horror movie Possession is getting a remake from Smile writer/director Parker Finn, and Deadline reports that The Batman actor Paul Dano has joined the cast.
No word at this time on character details, though.
The original film starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship spirals into a supernatural nightmare. In Finn’s update, Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner will star as the turbulent couple in Finn’s Possession, and Adjani has officially given her blessing on Qualley’s casting.
Parker Finn is writing and directing the new take on Possession.
He’s also producing alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, along with Roy Lee and Andrew Childs via Vertigo, and Robert Pattinson. Marc Bienstock is serving as exec producer.
Our own Brian Keiper celebrated Possession‘s 40th anniversary here on BD back in 2021, writing: “Few movies depict emotional turmoil as effectively and daringly as Andrzej Zulawksi’s Possession. It is a challenging and sometimes inscrutable film, both for the mind and the emotions. Zulawski struggles through a number of deep issues throughout the course of the film; issues that speak to some of humanity’s deepest pains and fears. In many ways it is about loss— loss of political ideals, loss of faith, and loss of innocence. But most of all, Possession is about the fear, pain, and anger that comes from the loss of a marriage.”
This will mark Dano’s first horror role. The actor previously appeared in sci-fi hits Looper and Okja.
Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Possession
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