Rod Serling will forever be one of the most important figures in science fiction. His influence and the power of The Twilight Zone just can’t be overstated. The man is a legend and always will be.

For a man who ended up becoming such a public figure, many don’t know much about Serling and his life. He was much more than just a writer and narrator. He was a war hero, outspoken activist and champion of artistic expression. His life was short — he died at 50 — but he packed a whole lot into those years.

And now we might get to see Serling’s storied life on the big screen. Geeks Worldwide is reporting that Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly is set to write and direct a biopic of Serling. Obviously Kelly’s work has been majorly influenced by Serling and this is probably a huge honor for the director.

It will also be Kelly’s first film since 2009. Kelly’s last movie, The Box, was actually based on an episode of The Twilight Zone, though an episode from the 1980s iteration of the series. Still, it’s further proof that Kelly holds The Twilight Zone and Serling near and dear to his heart.

Kelly’s work has been hit-or-miss, to say the least. Many worship Donnie Darko but his output since has been lackluster, though always proudly bizarre. The man has talent but it feels as though he sometimes bites off more than he can chew. Who knows what he’s learned in his ten-year absence from directing. Maybe a biopic of one of his heroes is just what he needs.

It’s definitely what we need. Serling lived such a full, wild and often heartbreaking life. He started as a young man who felt capable of taking on the world but his experience in World War II scarred him forever. He became a fervent anti-war activist and willfully admitted that the war soured his views on much of humanity. He was a pretty cynical man and that attitude colored his writing, which often spoke about racism, bigotry, war and the follies of man. Serling didn’t hide his disdain for much of his fellow man, he saw us as flawed, violent and close-minded people. But like all good science fiction writers, he still saw promise in people and his stories were allegories for what we as a society should avoid. The man was writing with a purpose. His talent and drive changed television and science fiction forever. The man was a giant of his craft. So who the hell will they get to play him?