What is the Stanley Kubrick Connection to The New Twilight Zone?

Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg return us to the Fifth Dimension in The Twilight Zone Season 2 premiering June 25th on CBS All Access. The trailer for the Twilight Zone offers an intriguing Easter egg.

The radio featured at the 1:26 mark bears a striking resemblance to HAL 9000, the murderous computer from the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Jordan Peele is a well known Stanley Kubrick fan. While conducting press interviews for “Us,” Jordan Peele attended interviews dressed in the same attire as Jack Torrance from The Shining.

Peele’s films are masterfully filled with Easter eggs that have fans analyzing every frame. For example, ‘Us’ has references from Jaws, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Lost Boys, Big, C.H.U.D., and of course, The Shining.

So it comes to no surprise that Season 2 of The Twilight Zone would contain more Easter eggs. The HAL 9000 -esque radio prominently featured is clearly more than a background prop as the imagery and editing indicate it is connected and/or perhaps symbolic of the pool of water featured immediately after in the next shot of the trailer. Is there significance to the fact that it appears to be an upside-down version of HAL 9000 or just an homage?

HAL 9000, also known as the Heuristically programmed Algorithmic Computer (HAL) 9000, is an artificial intelligence character in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship’s crew. Douglas Rain voices the computer.

The key question is, what can the AI computer do in the Fifth Dimension? The still appears to show a box from a baby monitor, but the HAL 9000 is capable of so much more. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL 9000 is capable of a wide range of functions, including speech, facial recognition, lip-reading, art appreciation, interpreting emotional behaviors, reasoning, spacecraft piloting, and playing chess.

Peele’s HAL 9000 reference has us analyzing every still from the Season 2 trailer. Looking at the below picture, I couldn’t help but wonder what the significance of the number 38 and the name “Pine” was?

Is this also a Stanley Kubrick Easter egg?

I know that the Wombat Art Box No. 38 is a limited Stanley Kubrick edition that was produced in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York. Only 1000 of the No. 38 art boxes were made and contained photographic print images by Stanley Kubrick.

Is the name Pine a nod to Pinewood Studios? Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was shot at Shepperton Studios, which is owned by Pinewood.

Is this a stretch? What Easter eggs do you see in the Season 2 trailer for Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone?