Unmade Scripts from Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling May Finally See Light of Day: Details

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As a lifelong fan of Rod Serling and his groundbreaking work, I can confidently say that he was not just a genius screenwriter but also a tireless worker who left an indelible mark on the television industry. His dedication to his craft is something that continues to inspire me even today, decades after his untimely passing at the age of 50.

I remember vividly when I first picked up Marc Scott Zicree’s “The Twilight Zone Companion” as a young adult, aspiring to follow in Serling’s footsteps and make a name for myself in television. The book was a treasure trove of insights into the creative process behind one of my favorite shows, and it fueled my passion for storytelling even further.

Fast forward to today, and I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of seeing unproduced Rod Serling scripts finally come to life in a new series called “Rod Serling’s After Twilight.” The idea of hearing his voice narrating these long-forgotten tales is almost too good to be true.

And who knows, maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to write for this series and pay homage to the man who inspired me so deeply. If only I could tell him that he was running out of time, but I guess we all know how that story ends… (Pun intended)!

It’s undeniable that Rod Serling was an incredibly productive screenwriter. Out of the 156 episodes produced for the original version of The Twilight Zone, which aired frequently on SYFY, Serling penned 92 of them.

Despite the celebrated anthology series concluding in 1964, the man didn’t slow down or retire early. Instead, he remained incredibly productive, creating two more television projects – The Loner and Night Gallery – and writing cinematic masterpieces like Seven Days in May and Planet of the Apes. As a Hamilton lyric goes, “How do you write like you’re running out of time?” Indeed, he seemed to be doing just that. A heavy smoker, consuming several packs of cigarettes daily, Serling unfortunately passed away prematurely at age 50 on June 28, 1975, following complications from open heart surgery.

Two years following Rod Serling’s passing, a determined 22-year-old graduate from UCLA, eager to make his mark in the television industry, embarked on writing the comprehensive account of Serling’s masterpiece. This young man was Marc Scott Zicree, who would later publish the renowned book titled “The Twilight Zone Companion” (now in its third edition). As he shared with SYFY WIRE, his initial aspiration was to become a writer-producer for television. Since there were no classes available for that, he decided, “If I write the book I wish existed and learn what I want to learn, that’ll solve my problem.” The three TV series that sparked his writing ambition were “Star Trek“, “Twilight Zone“, and “Outer Limits“.

For More on The Twilight Zone

1 Title Option: Remembering Rod Serling at 100: The Untold Story of the Controversial Twilight Zone Premiere
How a Single Episode of The Twilight Zone Ignited a Hellish Feud Between Writer and Director

Unproduced Rod Serling Twilight Zone scripts may finally get made into new series, Rod Serling’s After Twilight

With glowing endorsements from Twilight Zone associates like producer Buck Houghton and writer George Clayton Johnson, Zicree was granted exceptional permission to explore the Serling estate, thanks to Rod’s widow, Carol (who passed away in 2020 at the age of 90). “[They] showed trust in me, and they didn’t need to. Yet, instead, they welcomed me into their home and into their lives, showing kindness and offering assistance,” he recalls. “For the following five years, I was rummaging through Rod Serling’s attic and sifting through his scrapbooks and documents. In fact, I discovered a video of him conducting a class, where he would screen a Twilight Zone episode, discuss it, and then provide insights. This recording wasn’t meant for broadcast, so Rod was entirely open and truthful. That proved to be priceless.

Moreover, Zicree stumbled upon a wealth of Dictabelt recordings where Serling sketched out ideas for unproduced scripts. After all this time, these concepts might eventually be brought to life in a new series titled “Rod Serling’s After Twilight“, as the author discloses. “We plan to have Rod narrate it using the unused recordings. We’ll see how that works out.

The project offers Zicree an opportunity to bring to life a discarded script he penned for the ’80s reboot of “Twilight Zone”, titled “Knife Through the Veil”. This episode narrates the tale of a woman who journeys to the afterlife to exact revenge on a man responsible for the murder of her husband and child during a home invasion, prior to his own death in a car crash (as detailed by “The Twilight Zone Podcast”). Notably, Douglas Heyes, known for directing “Eye of the Beholder” and “The Howling Man”, was set to direct before CBS halted production just a week before preparation. Zicree comments that they found it too intense for their network at the time; now, he suggests, it would be considered tame by today’s standards.

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2025-01-03 22:47