Jordan Peele Explains His Reluctance to Take on "Twilight Zone"

There is no denying that Jordan Peele is leaving his mark on Hollywood. From his humble comedic beginnings on Key & Peele to his Oscar-winning hit, Get Out, he has taken his success and made it his mission to get his message out there through his work. Two notable projects of his that are currently in development are a new film called Us as well as a CBS All Access reboot of The Twilight Zone.

In an interview with Variety, Peele explained why he was terrified to take on Rod Serling’s classic anthology television series and what it now means for him to be working on the project.

It’s interesting to note that Peele initially turned down the opportunity out of respect for what the franchise stood for and meant over the years. The phone call which eventually lead to the meeting that changed his mind was from Simon Kinberg of CBS All-Access, who shared with Peele his vision for the reboot and found himself on the same page as the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

This conversation allowed Peele to come to the realization that he can continue the work of Serling in a more modern age when a Twilight Zone kind of series needs to really make people think and reflect on the world around them once more. Here’s what he had to say about that aspect of this project.

In the end, it’s all about having the courage to fill those big shoes and do this right with the mission and message in mind. Judging by Peele’s recent work, there is no doubt that he can accomplish this and that CBS has picked the right person for the job.

The Twilight Zone is currently in early development with concepts, scripts, and a writer’s room established so far. Production on the 10-episode season is set to begin in a few months.

About the Author

Chris Morse

Programmer by day, writer by night. Having grown up surrounded by plenty of horror movies and video games, it only made sense for Chris to combine all of these passions into one place: Dead Entertainment. Whether he's working on designs, tinkering with the platform, or just writing up the latest horror news, he's sure to be hard at work keeping the wheels turning on this website no matter what time of day it is. When not coding or gaming, you can find him donning a Cheesehead and heading to the Midwest to cheer on his favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. #GoPackGo

More Reading

Weekly Horror News Round-Up May 16: The Purge, The Twilight Zone, American Horror Story

Plus, get cursed by the Ju-On: Origins trailer, go behind the scenes of The Last of Us Part II, check out the short film The Scroll of Morlok, and more.

Weekly Horror News Round-Up May 9: The Twilight Zone, Scream, The Last of Us

Plus, a look at the new Xbox's horror slate, CBS greenlights its Silence of the Lambs spinoff, Ryan Murphy updates us on AHS Season 10, and more.

The Twilight Zone Season Finale Trailer Features Zazie Beetz, Seth Rogen

Here’s your first look at the final installment of the series’ inaugural season.

The Twilight Zone Previews Episode Nine, Releases "Designing a New Dimension" Featurette

As the revival series' first season approaches its final two episodes, a new trailer and featurette are upon us.