This is all very reminiscent of when Battlestar Galactica returned to TV five years ago. In spite of rumors last summer that original writer-producer-director Kenneth Johnson was close to securing a new sequel series to the classic '80s mini-series, it now appears that Johnson has been pushed out.Instead, Warner Bros. TV, which owns the rights to the alien invasion franchise, has enlisted veteran TV producer Scott Peters (The 4400, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) to develop a remake miniseries, and according to Variety, ABC is officially on board.
The original miniseries, along with its first sequel miniseries and spin-off ongoing series, aired on NBC and told a tale of deceitful extraterrestrials who hide their true selves from us while secretly plotting the downfall of the human race. Although at the time it was an allegory for Nazi Germany, Peters plans to move away from that idea, while still focusing on the dangers of blind faith in leadership.
The remake will still follow the same basic premise, although the actual details of the storyline will be completely different. None of the characters will be the same, with the main plot focusing on a Homeland Security agent and her son, who becomes enamored of the aliens, much to the chagrin of his fed mommy.
There are also plans to develop a video game based on the miniseries, and I'm assuming the door will remain tentatively open for an ongoing series. It's a good day to be a V fan, but I can't help but feel sorry for poor ol' Kenneth Johnson, who had been working on his V sequel for NBC since 2005. Maybe they'll throw him a bone just like they did for Richard Hatch, and give him a supporting role in the new show...