V PRESS RELEASE

 

June 9, 2003

Direct from Ken Johnson and NBC

NBC GIVES SCIENCE-FICTION CLASSIC ‘V’ THE VICTORY SIGN FOR A NEW THREE-HOUR MOVIE SCRIPT COMMITMENT WITH ORIGINAL CREATOR KENNETH JOHNSON RETURNING

"V: The Second Generation" Begins Again 20 Years Later with New Script Order as Johnson Fulfills Creative Vision as Writer, Director and Executive Producer

BURBANK – June 9, 2003 – Twenty years after its premiere as an NBC miniseries, the network has given the go-ahead for a script commitment that could revive "V," the science-fiction television classic, as "V: The Second Generation," a new, three-hour movie with original creator Kenneth Johnson returning to write, direct and serve as executive producer for the sequel. The announcement was made today by Jeff Gaspin, Executive Vice President, Alternative Series, Longform, Program Strategy and Bravo, NBC Entertainment.

"The appeal of ‘V’ continues and we look forward to getting a new script that could introduce it to a new generation of viewers," said Gaspin. "Likewise, we would like to move the story forward with a fresh take on this timeless story of human resilience and resistance."

Johnson’s original four-hour miniseries was the number-one program in America the week of its second two-hour episode in May 1983. That telecast's 27.0 rating and 40 share was NBC’s highest non-sports rating in over two-and-one-half years. After receiving considerable critical acclaim, "V" also garnered formidable ratings in international television markets. "V’s" recent DVD release jumped to the top of the Amazon Bestseller List and has shipped over 250,000 units.

In the original miniseries, "V" stood for Victory over the "Visitors" and represented an allegory of the Nazi takeover of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. The Visitors were aliens from a faraway planet who came to Earth posing as friends with much-needed technology but actually plotted to gain control through deadly subterfuge. Ordinary citizens eventually formed a Resistance Movement and struggled to fight back.

"For years I’ve had a passion to dig even deeper into the characters and circumstances," said Johnson. "‘V: The Second Generation’ will give me the opportunity to pick up the story 20 years later. The alien force is deeply entrenched, has turned many earth people into followers, and is sweeping them toward a dangerous new conquest. The Resistance seems to be fighting a losing battle when suddenly Earth gains a powerful and mysterious new ally. Gregg Maday at Warner Bros., my co-executive producer Rob Lee, NBC and I plan to make this new ‘V’ into the same kind of major international TV event that my original miniseries was."

If the movie receives a green light, several of the actors who starred in the original, including Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Jane Badler and Robert Englund, could possibly return to resume their roles in addition to a cast that will include many new faces as well.

"V: The Second Generation" is a production of Warner Bros. Television Production Inc. in association with Kenneth Johnson Productions, Inc. Rob Lee, who was instrumental in connecting the project with NBC, will be an executive producer.