Ben Stiller May Bring ‘The Twilight Zone’ Back to Movies

It’s been years since Paramount+’s TV reboot of The Twilight Zone quietly ended, but the anthology series may be coming back to the big screen.

Per Jeff Sneider, Warner Bros., which holds film rights for the franchise, is looking at Severance executive producer and lead director Ben Stiller to direct a new film. Various creatives have tried at it over the years, including Matt Reeves and Joseph Kosinski. But according to Sneider, Stiller may be the guy WB and Applain Way have needed to finally get the ball rolling on this film. The actor-director is a fan of the anthology show and previously cited it as an influence on Severance, up to and including a season two episode named after Twilight’s 1960 episode “The After Hours.”

The 1983 Twilight Zone movie had four segments, but this new film will reportedly just have one. Sneider claims one source told him the story would be supernatural and center on a fighter pilot assigned to a rocket that achieves time travel, which delivers him to a utopia 125 years in the future. The reporter stressed this could easily change: while Stiller’s allegedly been on board for “roughly six months,” it remains an open writing assignment (OWA), meaning any screenwriter could come on board and run with that premise or propose their own new take.

Sneider also acknowledged that if Stiller is directing this movie, it’ll be a ways out. Along with the third season of Severance, he’s starring in a fourth Fockers movie due holiday 2026 and directing the 1970s crime drama Bag Man. Still, we’ll report more on this potential Twilight Zone movie as news about it comes out.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.