The fifth incarnation of the classic science fiction anthology series “The Twilight Zone” begins streaming Monday on CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video-on-demand and live-streaming service.
Two episodes will be streamed — “The Comedian,” starring “Silicon Valley” cast member Kumail Nanjiani as a comedian who wants to be famous, and “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” a remake of the 1963 episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” which starred William Shatner as a passenger on a flight who claims to see a gremlin on the wing.
The story for “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” was written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Jordan Peele and two of his fellow executive producers on the series, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez.
Ramirez wrote the teleplay, which stars Adam Scott as a journalist who listens to a podcast detailing how the plane on which he’s a passenger will disappear. Scott was a cast member of the 2009-2015 NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation.”
Ramirez has written episodes for the Netflix women’s prison comedy-drama “Orange is the New Black” and the Netflix Marvel series “Daredevil” and was a creator of the Netflix Marvel miniseries “The Defenders.”
“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” was also remade for “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” starring John Lithgow.
Peele will be the host and narrator, a role series creator Rod Serling had in the original, which aired on CBS from 1959-1964. Serling’s widow Carol is among the executive producers of the latest version.
A new episode will be available on demand weekly on Thursdays beginning April 11.
Actors who will star in future episodes include Seth Rogen, Greg Kinnear and John Cho.
CBS All Access announced on Dec. 6, 2017, that a new version of “The Twilight Zone” would be added to its offerings, which also include all the episodes of the original. Production began in Vancouver, British Columbia on Oct. 1, one day before the 59th anniversary of the premiere of the original version.
Other “Twilight Zone” revivals aired on CBS from 1985-87, in syndication during the 1988-89 season and on UPN in the 2002-03 season.
“The original `The Twilight Zone’ bridged science fiction, horror and fantasy together to explore human nature and provide social commentary in a way that audiences had never seen before,” said Julie McNamara, CBS All Access’ executive vice president, original content.
“With the creative freedom that the CBS All Access platform affords, this is an incredible opportunity to bring today’s audiences a modern reimagining of this iconic series.”