Photo: CBS Television Studios
On April 1, Academy Award winner Jordan Peele will be taking us back to The Twilight Zone and no dimension will ever be the same again. The highly-anticipated official trailer was finally dropped by CBS All Access, the streaming home for the anthology series reboot. The reimagined show will follow in the footsteps of the original through thought-provoking science fiction and horror aimed at tackling social issues.
As we all know, the modernized version of the classic series will have plenty of contemporary social and political issues it can shed light on. Peele is determined to honor original creator Rod Serling’s legacy, who was an uncompromising voice unafraid to directly confront issues such as war, racism, and censorship. The late screenwriter and producer left behind plenty of warnings for us in the present, and Peele is now taking up the mantle with this unique storytelling vehicle.
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The Godfather of Sci-Fi TV
The original Twilight Zone, which ran on CBS from 1959-1964, took viewers to another dimension of sight, sound, and mind. Narrated by Serling, the series was a journey into a wondrous land of imagination that served as the catalyst for many themes and plots later used in other television shows and movies, permanently embedded into popular culture.
One of the episodes from the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series, titled “Mirror Image,” even inspired Peele’s upcoming horror feature Us. The episode follows a young career woman who encounters her doppelganger and eventually becomes convinced her look-alike is an evil entity from a parallel universe who’s out to eliminate and replace her.
The Twilight Zone explored humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways conventional drama could not. Serling’s wife quoted her late husband as often saying that “the ultimate obscenity is not caring, not doing something about what you feel, not feeling! Just drawing back and drawing in, becoming narcissistic.” One of the draws for Peele to take on a new vision of such an iconic series was the opportunity to “continue with Serling’s mission,” as The Twilight Zone has “always helped us look at ourselves, hold a mirror up to society.”
Welcome to ‘The Twilight Zone’
Much like Serling did in the original, the new iteration of the show will find Peele serving as narrator and host. Each episode will feature a new story with new characters, and an all-star ensemble of talent will be crossing over into the socio-horror realm. A few of the guest stars featured in the trailer include Adam Scott, Allison Tolman, Sanaa Lathan, Kumail Nanjiani, Steven Yeun, John Cho, Jacob Tremblay, and Greg Kinnear.
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Other stars that will appear in the series also include DeWanda Wise, Jessica Williams, Taissa Farmiga, Rhea Seehorn, Ike Barinholtz, Ginnifer Goodwin and more. Following the release of the official trailer, some of the stars celebrated on social media sharing in the excitement of getting to be a part of Peele’s project while basking in nostalgia.
As a kid I would wait all day in anticipation for the Twilight Zone rerun every night at 11p, and had to keep the volume low so I wouldn’t get caught staying up so late. Mind was blown every time. It’s still my favorite show and I can’t believe I got to be a part of it… https://t.co/ficva7V0T9
— Adam Scott (@mradamscott) February 21, 2019
I legitimately cannot wait to watch this series, and can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be in an episode. #TwilightZone #Oliver4Prez #SpookyAF @JohnTheCho @TheTwilightZone https://t.co/RHyo43eLMC
— Allison Tolman (@Allison_Tolman) February 21, 2019
I’m typing this in case these words magically find their way back to a 12 year old me.
This is a trailer for The Twilight Zone. I’m in it. https://t.co/wBhbCbjVbk
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) February 21, 2019
You’ve just crossed over into… #TheTwilightZone https://t.co/UaHEWqUOHE
— Jacob Tremblay (@JacobTremblay) February 21, 2019
Yessss! And Yesss I’m in it . Can’t wait for y’all to see this one. #April1st #TwilightZone @JordanPeele https://t.co/4VB2smMQLb
— Sanaa Lathan (@justsanaa) February 22, 2019
Oooooooh….I can’t wait to see all these episodes! (And I’m super excited for you to see the one I did with @taissafarmiga & @ikebarinholtz )! https://t.co/HVrI8ysUKp
— Rhea Seehorn (@rheaseehorn) February 22, 2019
The original The Twilight Zone series is available to stream on CBS All Access. The reboot will launch on the site on April 1.
