n 1983 NBC produced a sci-fi alien invasion miniseries called V. When I was a kid, this was one of the coolest things that I had seen on TV! I thought the reptilian aliens described as humans was so rad. I'm not sure how many of you remember this miniseries, but the original creator, Kenneth Johnson, is developing a feature film trilogy adaptation with Desilu Studios called V: The Movie.
After the human learn that there is a reptilian alien race living amongst them, some of them embrace their new overlords and fell into line with them. But there was a resistance that formed that didn't trust the aliens, and it's a good thing because there's a point that we discover the aliens were using the humans for food! Yeah, it's pretty much an updated version of the Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man", but it was still enjoyable.
The original miniseries was followed by a sequel in 1984 called V: The Final Battle and in 1985 a show was launched called V: The Series. That show didn't last very long. The was a reboot of the series in 2009 that lasted two seasons, but it wasn't really that good. Hopefully, this upcoming movie will be a lot better.
Johnson hasn't been involved with the franchise since V: The Final Battle, and he ended up dropping out because of creative differences that he was having with NBC. After he left he ended up writing a novel called V: The Second Generation, and also created the Alien Nation TV series. Johnson had this to say about the movie he's developing:
“We are delighted to team up with Desilu to bring the timeless — and timely — story of resistance against tyranny into the 21st Century,. V will be the first of a cinematic trilogy which will tell the full epic tale in the manner I always envisioned.”
Loved the original V Miniseries.
Was so-so on the TV show (the original). They had no budget so it was more like Dukes of Hazzard with the occasional reference to aliens.
Didn't see the reboot series although I heard it was good. I figured it would get cancelled quickly and well, it got cancelled quickly.
If Johnson is involved this could be interesting. He only wrote the original mini-series.. everything from
Final Battle onwards was done basically without him. I actually have the 2nd generation book he wrote but haven't read it yet. I think his plan was to involve that 2nd alien race teased at the end of the original mini-series when the resistance sent out the message for help at the very end.. that was obviously going to be the foundation for the next chapter but then that whole angle was dropped in the subsequent shows and series.