Here’s some cool news I’m sure none of us saw coming: Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently a huge fan of The Twilight Zone, so much so that it’s his intention to make an episode from the series into a feature-length film!
What’s interesting about the news is that a particular episode hasn’t been chosen. DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, is actively seeking out a script based on one of Rod Serling’s classic fantasy shows – an open competition of sorts.
This is the Hollywood Reporter’s interesting way of putting it: The companies are not seeking to remake an episodic movie, as the only big-screen version of the show did 25 years ago, but rather hope to build one continuing story line based on one or more episodes.
Sounds intriguing, no? I’m a huge TZ fan – I mean, huge! – and any time it gets this kind of love, I have to smile. That’s not to say DiCaprio has a long leash on this; if he f*cks up the name of a beloved Twilight Zone, I’ll seek him out and kick that chin hair off his stupid mug. But if this is approached with respect, I’m certainly open to the possibilities…
(As a side note, if this goes down, it won’t be the first TZ episode making the transition to feature. Back in March, we told you how Summit Entertainment plans to bring DEATH SHIP to the big screen…)
So what say you folks? Have a particular episode you’d like to see made on a grand scale? I could picture an ambitious ep like THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33 (plane travels back and forth through time) being chosen, since it has room for expansion, but I’d also like to see one of the down and dirty ones (THE INVADERS, LIVING DOLL) get a shot… Then again, if they’re combining episodes, or having one lead into another, the possibilities are really endless…