V (Season 1)

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Grand Master

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The upcoming re-imagining of the alien invasion series "V" looks set to bring a modern spin on the classic tale, but that doesn't mean it will forget its roots entirely. According to SciF Wire, the series is considering bringing in some of the show's original stars, and they already have some names in mind.

"Jane Badler has approached our producers and has been in touch here and there," executive producer Scott Peters confirmed.

What's keeping the writers from integrating her into the show though isn't a lack of enthusiasm, but instead the need to give her, and any other original stars who are interested, a pivotal role that will pay the proper respects to the original series.

"I haven't had a chance to actually sit down or talk to anybody face to face, but I would love to," Peters said. "And as we move forward in the writers' room, ... we're just getting up on our ... feet. We start shooting Monday [Aug. 10], and so once we sort of get that first one under our belts, I think we'll be able to take a bit of a sigh of relief and really sort of look a little bit more broad stroke, a little bit more big picture. ... I don't want somebody to just walk by in the background and then feature them for a second. ... I want to find a really interesting role for somebody."

In the 1980's series, Badler played Diana, the leader of the reptilian aliens who offered her friendship for the human race. In secret however, she was plotting to steal the planets water and eat its native population and the new "V" will follow a similar path without becoming a complete remake. In the process through, the series will pay homage by mirroring some of the classic events that viewers of the originals will find hard to forget.

"Whenever we would audition actors or bring writers in to interviews we would ask, 'What do you remember of the show? What's like the big [thing]?' And the big things were the huge ships, the red uniforms, ... eating the hamster and [the] alien baby," he explained. "You know, universally, that was what everyone came up with. It was like our top four or five. So definitely, we are well aware of those moments and looking to put our own little spin on them to tip our hat to the old audience."

"V" premieres Nov. 3 on ABC.

[airlock alpha]

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

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V - Why was Filming really shut down?

Warner Bros. will bring the production of "V" to a halt on Wednesday, but why that is happening is something that is being asked and gossiped about since the announcement was made.

The studio, which is looking to air "V" in November on ABC, said the two-week shutdown was nothing more than a chance to help the writers refresh themselves creatively, taking advantage of a later premiere date than normal.

But a fan blog known as Ilana's "V" Page said there was more to the shutdown than meets the eye. The Writers Guild of America, the site reported, was hearing a dispute between Warner Bros. and original "V" creator Kenneth Johnson that would decide whether or not Johnson would receive a credit on the new series.

"One of my super reliable sources has just informed me that the Writers Guild is having a debate on whether or not ABC's 'V' is a remake or not," the site said. "According to my source, Warner Bros. is now claiming that ABC's 'V' is not a remake. In other words, WB has retracted everything they've stated about a re-imagining of the original 'V.'"

Ilana's site is correct: There is a dispute on whether or not "V" is a remake being heard from the WGA, but it has nothing to do with the production hiatus, Johnson told Airlock Alpha. There are problems with some of the episodic scripts and the writers just need a little time to work that out, thus the stoppage.

At the same time, however, Johnson said he is fighting to keep his name on the show.

Warner Bros. apparently is claiming that the new concept starring Elizabeth Mitchell and Morena Baccarin is so different from the 1980s version created by Johnson that they should no longer have to identify it as a reimagining. By taking Johnson's name off the show, the studio would no longer be obligated to compensate Johnson anywhere near the level he would've been at with a creator's credit, if at all.

Johnson didn't want to go into too much detail about the WGA case because it is ongoing, but did confirm there is arbitration going on.

Warner Bros. and ABC have in the past called their concept of "V" a remake of Johnson's original in both interviews and at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

Hollywood does have a long and storied history with disputes over credits and such. Nearly a decade ago, Fox gave sole creation credit for the series "Harsh Realm" to "The X-Files" alum Chris Carter, and removed all references to the creators of the comic book that the series was based on. Fox later lost that dispute and had to restore the credit of the original creators, although they cancelled the series before that was finalized.

Source: Airlock Alpha

  • 3 weeks later...
Grand Master

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First a production stoppage, and now ABC seems to be rethinking its plan on how it will broadcast the remake of "V."

An ABC spokeswoman told Entertainment Weekly that while "V" will indeed premiere on the network in November, it will be just four episodes that will run during sweeps, and then not return again until March when the Winter Olympics are over.

Sound like more problems for the remake of the Kenneth Johnson classic? ABC says no. They had planned to air the show in "pod" format to create event programming, the network told EW. However, the news comes on the heels that the two-week hiatus that began earlier this month to help fix some creative issues will extend another four weeks, meaning production likely won't resume until around the time the first episodes air Nov. 3.

That could mean ABC is worried about how "V" will perform, and may be looking closely at debut audience numbers to figure it out what to do next. If the show underperforms, ABC will be able to pull the plug quickly without expending too much producing episodes it may never intend to air. If it at least meets audience expectations, then the network could green light additional episodes that would be ready to shoot about the same time.

"V" has struggled to get out of the gate since the network said it would seek a reimagination of the property earlier this year. Outside of the current production stoppage, Warner Bros. Television had asked the Writers Guild of America to remove Johnson's name from the creator credits, claiming the new version under "The 4400" vet Scott Peters was completely different from the original.

However, a WGA mediation committee determined that the new series had enough elements to require Warner Bros. and ABC to continue including Johnson's credit in the series, and also to compensate him for using his work.

The new series, which Johnson has told Airlock Alpha will not serve as an impediment to his efforts to create a big-screen version of "V," stars Elizabeth Mitchell, Scott Wolf and Morena Baccarin.

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