He’s still best known for providing the spooky introduction and opening/closing narration to the TV series he created – The Twilight Zone – and now Rod Serling’s life is going to become a story in itself, with Wall Street co-writer Stanley Weiser signing to on write the script.
While having birthed one of the world’s greatest and most famous science fiction series (one that gathered a staggering amount of acting and writing talent during its original five-series run) would be enough for most people, Serling’s life encompassed much more.
His early years were a struggle, and he spent time as a paratrooper and working as a demolition squad member in the US Army during World War Two. His service in the Philippines informed his work, and when h returned to the US, he scored work for the radio and on TV before CBS gave him the chance to create his own anthology series. The Twilight Zone was born.
And that wasn’t the only credit to his name – he also crafted follow-up anthology series Night Gallery and co-wrote 1968’s original Planet of the Apes. He died in 1975.
Producer/director Andrew Meieran snapped up the life rights to Serling’s story and will develop the film with the writer’s widow, Carol. "Rod Serling was one of the true visionaries in television history," Meieran tells Deadline. "He single-handedly broke the mold and established television as a powerful artistic medium capable of changing the world when used wisely." Let’s hope they get it right, or To Serve Man really will be a cookbook for annoyed Zone fans…