Initially released in the '80s as a mini-series on NBC, V was ahead of its time. It was an event that was a massive blockbuster for the media giant. Soon after, a second series was released called The Final Battle. After the mega ratings of the first chapters, the battle of man against lizard people from outer space was turned into a weekly Friday night series that burned out quickly. Ratings faltered and they pulled the plug. Years later, the show was rebooted on ABC with a modern spin and was cancelled again. On the coattails of Lost, the new version threw some new twists and turns into the story.
Well, it looks like V is back again. Desilu Studios has announced plans to turn the story of an alien invasion into a full fledged trilogy of films that will be helmed by creator Kenneth Johnson himself. Johnson will be taking directorial duties on the project with John Hermansen (Grey Matters) and Barry Opper (Critters) taking on producer roles.
The original V played to the politics of the day, using cold war paranoia and WWII Nazi themes as its central story arc. Mankind fought back against the evil tyrannical rule of a species hell bent on taking over the Earth. Humans turned on each other and a rebellion was spawned. Hopefully, the new version can find a way to meld the modern political climate into the movies.
What's old is new again.
-CG