We have some exciting news for all “The Twilight Zone” fans out there! An authorized biographical documentary on the life of its creator Rod Serling is in the works. It will be executive produced by his daughters Jodi and Anne Serling, who have also given the project their blessing.
The Sterling Documentary
The currently untitled documentary will be directed by Jonah Tulis (“GameStop: Rise of the Players”). It will explore how Serling’s writing forever changed the television landscape. Looking at his humble beginnings in television, and how he used the medium to enact social change. This will include explorations of his battles with censors and how he grappled with issues of racism, war, the dangers of technology, and morality. All through the medium of genre-bending, groundbreaking, sci-fi parables.
One of the unique things about this documentary is it will be told mostly through the late Sterling’s own words. Through archival footage the host/creator/narrator/writer/political activist will tell the story of his life in his own words.
The Sterling documentary is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, Goodlight, Grub Street Films, and Verdi Productions. DiCaprio will produce alongside Chad A. Verdi, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson, Taylor DiGilio, Blake J. Harris, Michelle Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, and Tulis.
“We are excited to dive into the life of such a visionary who understood the role storytelling plays in pushing and challenging societal norms,” Davisson of Appian Way told IndieWire. “Equipped with a vast and extensive collection of archival footage, we hope to capture the essence of a man who used ‘The Twilight Zone’ so poignantly to drive social and political change.”
“We are very excited to collaborate with Appian Way and provide an inside look on Rod Serling’s story with a personal narrative and footage that audiences have never seen before,” Verdi adds. “This documentary will be the first of several projects that we plan on producing with this team.”
We’ll keep you posted on updates about the Rod Sterling documentary as they become available.
