‘Let Me In’ director Matt Reeves steps into ‘The Twilight Zone’

There are little movie trivia facts that I love to trot out in certain conversations just because I love the reactions from people when they hear them.  For example, whenever 1983’s “Twilight Zone: The Movie” comes up, I love to point out that the original plan wasn’t to make an anthology film.  Instead, they considered telling one story and simply branding it with the name “Twilight Zone” to kick off a series of films. 

The script they were going to use for the film was “Miracle Mile.”  Yes, the same “Miracle Mile” that eventually got made with Anthony Edwards as the lead.  That was very nearly the first “Twilight Zone” movie, and I wonder what would have happened if that had been the approach.

It sounds like the new Warner Bros. feature is returning to the concept of one film, one story, and they’ve been developing a script by Jason Rothenberg for a while now, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, and Michael Ireland producing for their company Appian Way.  We’ve heard a lot of speculation about who would direct the film, but it appears they’ve finally made their choice, and I think it’s a pretty great decision.

Matt Reeves, director of “Cloverfield” and “Let Me In,” is going to direct the film, with current plans set for him to start shooting during the summer of 2012.

I’m glad to see Reeves land a job like this.  After “Let Me In,” I feel like he should have gotten a huge bump, and we’ve seen his name in the mix for some of the big jobs around town.  He was one of the directors we saw in the running for “Superman,” and also for “Wolverine,” but this feels like the best possible match for him.  I’m curious to see if they try to use either Rod Serling or a Serling stand-in to introduce the movie, but more than that, I’m hoping that the emphasis in a “Twilight Zone” film is on storytelling and the pure pleasures of what you can do to an audience with a well-told story.

There are a number of projects Reeves is already attached to, including a new adaptation of the short story that was the inspiration for John Carpenter’s “They Live” and an adaptation of the hit novel “The Passage,” but considering how many people were fighting over this job, I’m guessing this becomes top priority.  Whatever the case, I’m glad to see someone doing something with the “Twilight Zone” name, and I’m really pleased with the potential now that Reeves is on the case.

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