Cranston native portrays 'Twilight Zone' creator Rod Serling in upcoming documentary
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A local production company is bringing "The Twilight Zone" to Rhode Island, filming reenactments for an upcoming documentary about Rod Serling in the Ocean State.
"He is such a remarkable figure. He's an icon. He was one of the pioneers in studio TV," producer Chad Verdi Jr. said. "To be able to create something so creative and get it on the TV, especially in the 1950s and '60s, it wasn't easy. For us to be able to try and capture that, it's just as hard."
Rhode Island-based production company Verdi Productions is teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way for the project.
On Wednesday, they were filming at the carousel at Roger Williams Park.
Serling is being portrayed by Cranston native Tom DeNucci.
"I've just been studying all those classic episodes of 'The Twilight Zone,'" DeNucci said. "Rod makes a lot of interesting mannerisms and he has a lot of ticks to him, so I wanted to study those and make sure I capture them."
The production has filmed in Providence, East Greenwich and Wakefield. They're using archival footage from Serling's life and audio recorded by Serling himself with a Dictaphone.
"We're using all archival of Rod and some stuff people have never heard before, so he can tell his story himself," director Jonah Tulis said.
It's the latest film to take advantage of the sights and backdrops Rhode Island has to offer, bringing even more attention to the state's growing film community.
"To have it filmed here in Rhode Island is amazing," said Steven Feinberg, the executive director of Rhode Island's Film & Television Office. "This may bring more people to the carousel because they want to see where the Rod Serling documentary was filmed."
The documentary is expected to be released in 2026.
