One of the most recognizable classic TV figures is finally getting a biopic made about his strange and interesting life. Deadline reports that “The Twilight Zone” creator/producer/host Rod Serling will have his life story brought to the big screen. The iconic personality, who took sci-fi and fantasy to the mainstream, has had his life rights purchased by a company called the Bureau of Moving Pictures (seriously, that’s what it’s called), headed by out-of-nowhere writer/director/real estate investor Andrew Meieran. The film will be written by Stanley Weiser, who co-wrote “Wall Street” with Oliver Stone.
Serling is best known for “Twilight Zone,” but that is only a part of his fascinating life. Before getting into television, Serling was a paratrooper during World War II and also worked on a demolition squad. After the war, he made his way into radio and eventually transitioned to TV. As the narrator/host of “Twilight Zone,” he was the face of some of the most revolutionary television of the 1960s. He went on to co-write the classic sci-fi movie “Planet of the Apes” and continued to work in the television industry, then switched tracks and became a teacher at Ithaca College where he taught until his death in 1975. If handled properly, this could be an thoroughly worthwhile film that will shed light on integral player in television’s history.
The project will be produced by Serling’s widow, Carol, along with Meieran who appears to have made his own way into the industry. IMDB lists him as writer, director and producer on only one title, “Highland Park,” which is in post-production and stars Billy Burke (“Twilight“), Parker Posey and Danny Glover. What?! Deadline describes the movie as “a drama about a group of lifelong friends whose jobs fall victim to budget cuts.” Before this, Meieran was apparently a big deal in real estate investment so he must have the financial stability to bankroll “Park” and the Serling project. Only time will tell if he knows anything about how to actually make a movie, since “Park” is yet to get a release date.
No word yet on who will direct Serling’s biopic or when production will begin.