Via Deadline, the news came in yesterday that a new "Twilight Zone" film is in development, being scripted by writer Jason Rotherberg. As a fan on the original series, who never missed a holiday marathon (my hometown syndicated station, KTLA, popularized the tradition), I welcome the news. As a child I was happily freaked out by the first "Twilight Zone" film, especially Joe Dante's take on "It's a Good Life," and George Miller's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with John Lithgow. I even have fond memories of the 80s revival, "The New Twilight Zone," but not so much the 2002 attempt. Bloggers and journos have already started speculating and offering their suggestions for which classic episodes could be adapted to feature length. I can't resist adding some of my own favorites to the pile.
"Little Girl Lost" - There's nothing more frightening for a parent than a missing kid. And as this episode and "Poltergeist" proved, when the supernatural is involved, a kid can go missing without ever leaving the house, or even leaving their parents' earshot. We didn't get to explore much of the strange pocket of interdimensional space that little Tina briefly tumbled into, back in 1962, so there's lots of room to expand the story and flesh out the characters. And any remake should have a boost over the original just by using a real little girl's disembodied voice calling for help, instead of a grown woman trying to sound like a little girl.
"To Serve Man" - Sure it's based on a groaner of a pun, but the satirical possibilities are endless. The aliens may do the serving of man, but I'm betting that they're going to need some help with the processing, packaging, marketing, quality control, and advertising. Who better to lend a hand than the beloved entities that are very familiar with the product already - corporate America? After all, Soylent Green didn't become a success all by itself. I'd love to see the story from the viewpoint of a harried executive, trying to deal with production problems, suspicious underlings, and demanding clients, and maybe a little office romance on the side?
"Number 12 Looks Just Like You" - This one just keeps getting more relevent over time. I always felt for the poor heroine, Marilyn, forced to confrom to a cookie-cutter standard of beauty that effectively lobotomized her in the process. In the age of Lindsay Lohan and the Kardashians, sometimes you have to wonder if there's something more sinister going on. I'd love a little more insight on the origins of the dystopian nightmare world "Number 12" takes place in, and after seeing a few too many similarly premised movies end in revolution and upheaval, it'll be nice to see something with a more sobering, unhappy ending.
"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" - With all the alien invasion films coming soon, this one should fit right in. The cook with the third eye was one of the images I always associated with "Twilight Zone," and I'm dying to see someone take a stab at it again with today's effects technology. I don't think that filmmakers could get away with using the same twist again, but the concepts of competing invasions, alien infiltrators, and the "extra man" dilemma could easily be reconfigured into a fun science-fiction thriller. A feature would also provide the opportunity to show us some of the actual interstellar warfare between the Martians and Venusians.
"Paladin of the Lost Hour" - My favorite of the '80s "Zones," written by science fiction's most irascible scribe, Harlan Ellison. The original episode introduced the idea that the last, precious, hour before the end of the world has been safely preserved in a pocket watch. As long as the last hour is kept safe, doomsday will never come, but it holds powers that may be an awful temptation to whoever holds it. Twenty-five years after we saw the watch passed on from one caretaker to the next, I'd love to see the idea revisited. And as an added perk, we can count on a good rant from Ellison about the end result, good or bad.
There are so many, many more that could be revisited, and reading over the lists of episodes I just want to sit down and marathon them all over again, especially some of the more obscure episodes, and the installments from the two revival series. Did you know "Dead Man's Shoes" was remade as an 80s episode with Helen Mirren? That Robert Duvall starred in one of the hour-long episodes as a man in love with a museum miniature? There's so much potential here for something special. A final note - the robot boxer story, "Steel," would have been on this list too, but it's already being turned into a feature film, "Real Steel," with Hugh Jackman, due in theaters next year.
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