Struggling MGM pushes towards The Outer Limits

It may be stuck in a financial twilight zone of its own, but reports suggest Hollywood giant MGM is pushing ahead with plans to bring a new version of the cult 1960s TV show The Outer Limits to the big screen - says The Guardian.

The struggling studio recently shelved plans for a 23rd James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, and with Sam Mendes on board to direct. But, according to Empire, it has hired screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan to work on a script for the Outer Limits project. The duo are credited with writing four out of the seven films in the Saw horror franchise, though rather crucially, these are the most recent four films, rather than the better-received earlier movies.

The Outer Limits was a science fiction-orientated show which originally ran from 1963 to 1965 on US TV station ABC. With its famous opening salvo: "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture ..." the programme told several wild and wonderful stories per episode, much like its precursor, The Twilight Zone. The series was revived in 1995 and ran for seven years – far longer than the original show.

MGM's creditors gave it yet another extension in July – this time until September. The famous firm, which is up for sale, allegedly owes $3.7bn (£2.3bn), though it is asset rich, with rights to the Bond series and part-ownership of the two forthcoming Hobbit films.

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