The Outer Limits

[OrlandoEastwood]

Can MGM Afford a Trip to THE OUTER LIMITS?

Why would you get those two hacks to write it?

In recent months, all news pertaining to the development slate of MGM has been marred by the studio’s financial troubles. Such properties as The Hobbit, the next James Bond film, remakes of Robocop and Red Dawn, as well as Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods have all been subject to — at a bare minimum — delays in production.

So when we pass along the news that MGM has hired Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan to script a feature adaptation of the 1960s sci-fi series The Outer Limits, it comes with the caveat associated to all that originates from MGM headquarters at the moment: don’t expect to see it anytime soon. Details after the jump.

According to Variety, an MGM spokesperson said that the screenwriters were hired “well before the studio’s current financial woes began to mount,” though the check was cut just a few weeks ago. If you are a devotee to the Saw franchise, the names Melton and Dunstan may be familiar: the pair scripted chapters four through seven for the horror series (or IV – 3D, if you prefer). I wouldn’t call myself a fan (I have yet to see any of the three Melton/Dunstan-penned sequels), but the narrative devices inherent in Saw may just be an oddly perfect training ground for The Outer Limits. Their script is due in November.

The source material in question was an anthology series that ran from 1963-1965, effectively ABC’s hard science fiction answer to The Twilight Zone. Despite a short run, The Outer Limits was revived once before for a new television series that sustained a seven-season run from 1995-2002 on Showtime and Sci-Fi Channel. In lieu of a summary, I’ll leave with the super cool narration that opened each episode.