So remember when news blew out that Warner Brothers was extremely enthusiastic about their new one-story Twilight Zone screenplay and that they were waving it in front of four of the biggest and most interesting directors in Hollywood? Yeah, well apparently none of them bit. Instead, WB is now looking to get Cloverfield / Let Me In director Matt Reeves signed onto the project ASAP.
This remains a Leonardo DiCaprio co-production (via his Appian Way shingle), but there’s no indication at all that he’s involved beyond that capacity (he’d probably be tied up with math anyway).
The original four names that were tossed around — Christopher Nolan, Michael Bay, Alfonso Cuaron, Rupert Wyatt– very much read together as the same short list that any possible sci-fi blockbuster might have. The thing is, Warner Brothers is capable of pulling talent like that with a script they’re throwing their full force behind. I think most would still have been genuinely surprised to hear that Bay, Nolan, or Cuaron had actually committed, but Rupert Wyatt seemed like a decent bet. Maybe Fox is quietly gearing up another Apes film quick enough to preclude his involvement?
Regardless, it seems to be Reeves for the taking and without knowing what the script is like, it’s hard to judge the choice. Reeves’ two films have had him handling large-scale visual chaos, as well as quieter, more visually poetic drama, and I think he proved his skill across the board. Both projects were laden with bigger names, “what’s the point?” remake baggage, and overbearing gimmicks though, so I’m still waiting to see Reeves come into his own. A Twilight Zone movie will not be without its own expectations, but they’re so much more nebulous than those associated with a JJ Abrams-branded secret monster project or an art-house remake, so he’s got a shot at showing us who he is.
Would you have preferred the dart landed on one of those other names though?
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Source | Deadline