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Ken Levine Is Working On An Interactive Twilight Zone Series
Ken Levine isn’t leaving his current project at the studio formerly known as Irrational. He does have something new in the works, though.
The creator of the BioShock franchise is teaming up with media house Interlude for an interactive series based on Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. The project will land somewhere in between film and games, giving the viewer a bit of agency.
“Interactivity is a spectrum, it’s not binary,” Levine told Wired, which broke the news this morning. “I think of it as the viewer’s angle in the chair. When you watch something, you’re sitting back in the chair. When you’re gaming, you’re leaning forward in the chair. This is an interesting place in between … your brain is forward in the chair.”
Levine has been asked to write and direct the project. He says he was attracted to Twilight Zone in particular, because of the show’s exploration of the human condition.
Levine isn’t the first game developer to sign on with Interlude. Her Story’s Sam Barlow is serving as creative director on a short film based on the movie WarGames.
No release window has been discussed for Levine’s project, as it is still in the earliest phase of development. For more, you can read Wired’s full interview. For more on Levine, you can read our extensive two-part interview about BioShock, faith, and relationships here and here.
For more on The Twilight Zone, check out Ben Hanson and Jeff Cork's podcast, The Twilight Highlight Zone, that takes a comprehensive look at the original run of the show.
Update: Interlude has informed us that the Twilight Zone project isn't a film. "We are focusing on serializing content, so the plan is for it to be an interactive series," a company representative told us via email.
[Source: Wired]
Our Take
I grew up watching Twilight Zone with my dad. Burgess Meredith’s broken glasses and William Shatner’s monster on the wing of the plane are emblazoned in my brain and formative to my understanding of science fiction and horror. I’m eager to see Levine’s take on the property, especially as an ardent BioShock fan.
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