What's not to love about Rod Serling? The man is an absolute icon in the horror/science-fiction community thanks to his work on shows like The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery; he has one of the greatest voices in the history of narration; and the man's eyebrows are legendary. What you may not know, however, is that the man's story is quite incredible, and now he'll be getting a feature film made about him.
Bureau of Moving Pictures has made a deal to make a biopic about the life of Rod Serling, according to Deadline. Stanley Weiser, who is best known for co-writing Wall Street with Oliver Stone in 1987, will write the script while Andrew Meieran and Carol Serling, Rod's widow, will produce. Serling had quite an adventurous life before becoming a part of show business history, serving in the Pacific during World War II. Both a paratrooper and a member of a demolition squad, the horrors that the writer witnessed would later deeply affect the writer's work. In addition to his work on television, Serling also had experience in the movie industry, working with Michael Wilson on the first Planet of the Apes. A smoker his entire life, Serling died in 1975 at the age of 50.
This may seem kind of weird, but if they're looking for a proper director to handle the material, I think they should give some consideration to Tim Burton. My favorite movie from the filmmaker will always be Ed Wood, and while the tone would obviously differ greatly, I think Burton would has the darker sensibilities to do the project the right way. That said, I don't think Johnny Depp should play Rod Serling. I think it's Jon Hamm or go home.
