Some more V: The Original Mini – Series..

Posted on - 01-06-2009
Categories: Actor / Actress, Avatars, Kenneth Johnson, Pics - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Some more V: The Original Mini – Series..

Posted on - 01-06-2009
Categories: Actor / Actress, Avatars, Kenneth Johnson, Pics - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Here is the start of the avatar collection from V: The Original Mini – Series..

If you click on the image you will be able to see the moving avatar.. For some reason, they aren’t working in the post..

Posted on - 31-05-2009
Categories: Actor / Actress, Avatars, Kenneth Johnson, Pics - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Aloha all..

It’s official V fans! Just checked me email to find this little message:

ABC has ordered 13 one – hour episodes of Warners TV’s re – imagined series version of V.. So congratulations to Scott Peters’, Jace Hall, Cast and Crew.. As you all know, Kenny isn’t involved but has he congratulated both Jason Hall and Scott Peters.. V: The New Series doesn’t affect Kenny’s ongoing efforts to remake his original classic as a major Motion Picture..

Kenny’s prime desire is to bring big – screen production values to the new V: The Motion Movie while carefully protecting the timeless story, the characters, quality, integrity and substance that make his original V such a favorite of worldwide audiences and  a critically acclaimed, international landmark..

Efforts by Kenny and his producing partners continue on a daily basis..

Once again guys ” Congratulations!”

Posted on - 19-05-2009
Categories: Exclusive, Jace Hall, Kenneth Johnson, Scott Peters, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Greetings to all here..

I’ve had the opportunity to read some of the discussion on this site and other sites in regards to the new V project that is being worked on and I wanted to take a quick moment to clear a few things up if possible..

We understand the various skepticism and the concerns being voiced here.. We know we are working with a well known and cherished property and I can assure you that there is the highest regard for the material on everyone’s part..

We are all focused on delivering an EPIC pilot and hopefully series!

I am huge fan of the original V and I know Ken Johnson personally.. So please know that whatever I do in regards to V I always do it knowing that I must look Kenny in the eye and own the responsibility for it..

So believe me when I say that we care about this and that we want it to be as satisfying as possible to as many people as it can be.. We want it to be meaningful to people and live up to the expectations that are out there as well as our own..

The reason you are not getting a lot of information from me or Scott or anyone else at this time, is simply because we are focused on the pilot, and from the team’s perspective it is not the appropriate moment for us to be discussing the show’s details and specifics.. The pilot is not done.. It is being worked on.. When we finish it and actually have a complete work, it will make more sense to discuss what it is we have produced..

When it is the right time, the information will flow.. I promise you that. As a guy from the video games industry, I am very used to a much more open and early dialog with the community on a project so of course it is very hard for me not to talk about the project right now as I am very excited about it and there is a lot to say..

From what I can tell, most of the information that is out there is from various industry leaks and a lot of it is inaccurate so that makes it even harder to sit by and do nothing to correct it..

The quick V - Logs up on www.v-thevisitors.com are just fun micro moments that I am making available just to at least have SOMETHING ( However little and insignificant they might be ) for now just to let you know that the project is indeed moving forward and that things are looking FANTASTIC ( Although I cant show you that stuff directly at this time )..

With this V log stuff I am trying to slowly acclimatize the ” traditional studios and networks involved ” to a more organic way to allow V fans into what is going on – but I need to seriously baby step the process in order to not cause issues..

I think the more the V fan supports this kind of activity instead of discouraging it,may create more studio and network flexibility to reveal more information over time.. I need to show them that spending time with you and communicating with you early is a positive move..

Basically, I’m trying here.. I know that what is being provided is woefully insufficient at this time, but these are the rules that have been established.. Things will improve over time with your support should you decide to lend it..

I understand that there are some of you who ONLY want a Ken J version ofV – I don’t know how to address that other than to say Kenny is working on getting a film made and hopefully he will be able to do so under the terms that make sense for him.. I certainly have told Kenny that I support his effort..

As for the ” amateur ” comment I’m sorry you feel that way.. I am a casual person and I don’t have any entitlement issues about my role as Executive Producer.. I feel honored to be part of the V team, working with Scott and Steve and Yves, and Warner Bros and ABC.. I feel lucky and humble to be able to speak to the V fans here..

In any case, we really appreciate your patience, understanding and support..

Stay tuned on www.v-thevisitors.com as things evolve..

Jace Hall..

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Exclusive, Jace Hall, Kenneth Johnson, Scott Peters - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Aloha all.. Hopefully everyone is keeping an eye on the site that we’ve provided for you to keep an eye on..

http://www.v-thevisitors.com/

Be sure to watch this site as it’ll bring you exclusives of the new series.. V ‘ Logs ‘ have started to be posted so people can start to get a glimpse and a feel to the show and the people behind it all.. With Jace Hall filming and commenting during the videos with his guests we should call it ‘ The Jace Hall Show: The V Files..’ LOL.. Be sure to subscribe to his channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HDFINC

Jace Hall is a Ken Johnson fan..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF0wtZZYqCU&e]

Was in a meeting today discussing other things and Christina Milian had a question about the new V..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Xba-FGPcs&e]

Scott contemplates jumping out a window and getting run over by a golf cart..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iGBiyZ67qY&e]

Jace has arrived in Vancouver and can’t wait to see the magic..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys1RPC_lO-E&e]

Where the team sits to watch the magic happen..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYy9YJ4qOVM&e]

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Exclusive, Jace Hall, Kenneth Johnson - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

The Visitors: Why are networks not making miniseries anymore?

Kenneth Johnson: ” Here’s the perfect example.. When we did V originally in 1983, [ NBC programming executive ] Brandon Tartikoff and I envisioned [ The first miniseries ] as a pilot for some ongoing series.. After the four – hour miniseries, it became clear it was going to be too expensive to do as a one – hour episodic show.. Instead of doing it as a one – hour series, we said, let’s do it as a six – hour sequel miniseries and Warner Bros., [ Which owns the rights to V ], said no, we don’t want to do that.. The reason is there was no upside for them.. On a series, if you get a hit, the studio stands to make quite a bit of money.. But as a one – off six – hour event, it doesn’t take them into that world.. It wasn’t until Brandon said, if Warner will do a six – hour sequel, then NBC will give Warner an additional order for a separate one – hour series, 13 episodes, a put series commitment.. Nobody had ever gotten that.. Warner Bros. agreed, viewing the miniseries as a loss leader for a blind series commitment.. That’s the only way Warners would go forward.. Even back then they were looking at the longer term of how to make money on series..”

V: Remind me why you quit after the original V? How involved were you in V: The Final Battle?

KJ: ” I hired three writers to work with – Craig Buck, Peggy Goldman and Diane Frolov – and sat in my office at Warner Bros. and fashioned the six – hour sequel.. It was better than what I had written in the first four – hours and Brandon loved it.. We were just starting down the road and Warners called and said they were concerned I wouldn’t direct it as quick and cheap and dirty as they wanted it.. They were anxious to get it over with and out of the way and not pay too much attention to quality.. And I said, ” You realize by asking me not to direct, you’re breaching my contract?” And they said, ” We don’t care, we want you to work on the blind series commitment..” And I thought, if they won’t let me makeV the way I want to direct it, I should depart the studio.. They said, ” Nobody walks away from a 12 – hour series commitment on the air..” And I said, ” You’re forcing me to do it, what can I say?” So they handed off the script and had it re – written for a different group of people.. It was a bit like having a baby and giving it over to the foster parents you didn’t know or trust.. To this day I’ve only seen 30 seconds of it and watched them make every wrong choice in 30 seconds..”

V: How much from what you wrote did they use: The alien babies, the conversion chamber, the red dust?

KJ: ” Yes, but at the end of ours when the Visitors were leaving, Donovan and Juliet didn’t want them to go and take all of our people and we had them in a fighter that flew into a departing Mothership without the Visitors knowing what they had done.. Maybe they would have found a way to save everyone.. We left it open – ended that way..”

V: Why did you decide to re – visit V?

KJ: ” When I was putting together the DVD [ Of the original ] for Warner Home Video, the last scene had Faye [ Grant as resistance leader Juliet Parish ] sending a message to deep space hoping that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.. And I thought, what if I picked up the story 20 years later to see what happened? We see Visitors control all the media and all communications and they can make the truth be whatever they want the truth to be.. On the other hand, they cured AIDS and cancer and heart disease, but they’re taking our water and half the oceans are gone.. They say it’s dialysis on a planetary scale, that they’re just cleaning the water and will bring it back.. It’s a little like living in Paris in 1943 during the German occupation.. You could have your cappuccino on the Champs Elyse if you didn’t mind soldiers sitting next to you.. You could go to the theater if you didn’t mind that it was carefully edited and some of your friends would disappear occasionally.. I thought it became an interesting allegory for what’s been going on today in the world, particularly since when we wrote the original V the Soviet Union and the United States were the superpowers and now we have only one hyper – power, led by a group of people who say, ” We are your wise leaders, we know what’s best for you, stay the course, don’t ask questions and we’ll do what we want, undermine the Constitution a little bit, but we’ll take care of you..”

” By the end of the first third of the book, it does look like our resistance is hobbled and they have no hope of winning and then there’s a knock at the back door [ and a new race of aliens arrive and say ], ” We got your message.. We’re here to help..” That became a very exciting concept for me to pursue..”

V: In V: The Second Generation, the events of the second miniseries and series are completely ignored.. Characters that died are alive again, including scientist Robert Maxwell, fifth columnist Martin and other characters.. Why ignore all that?

KJ: ” I figure a lot of water can go under the bridge in 20 years.. I felt by introducing a ” great purge ” of the Resistance in the late ’90s when many people were lost and swept away by that.. I wanted to go back to what I had built to begin with and what my original intent had been.. I felt that I wasn’t that informed about all the changes they made in ” The Final Battle..” I knew the character of Ham.. He was supposed to be in a wheelchair.. [ Actor ] Michael Ironside went to the producers and said, ” My name’s Ironside, you can’t put me in a wheelchair..” They made all these changes of such a gross magnitude.. I have found among people who got an early read of the book who had seen ” The Finale Battle,” nobody seems to have minded.. This is a new piece that builds off of what I originally had done and carries on with the characters that were most important in the original and introduces a new set of characters..”

V: Did NBC executives have concerns about ignoring the events of the second miniseries or the series?

KJ: ” Not at all..”

” What they were concerned about was that they did a miniseries about the Warsaw ghetto and it didn’t do well because it was such a downer.. They were concerned about this being too grim and dark and I said, it has to be grim and dark for people to triumph over it..”

V: How did your experience differ between pitching the original V and V: The Second Generation?

KJ: ” When I went to Brandon in 1983, I told him the story.. He never read it.. At the end, he said, go write the script.. I wrote a 230 – page script in 19 days brought it back, he read it over the weekend and on Monday he said, ” Go to production..” On scripts you do revisions on different color pages.. The first draft is white, the second set is blue.. WithV we shot the white pages of my first draft.. Same thing happened on ‘ The Incredible Hulk..’”

“When I sold [ A script commitment for ] V: The Second Generation to NBC, it was a time when there were corporate takeovers.. In the midst of this, there was a management change and suddenly NBC was buying Universal and the whole big tangle there.. Instead of Brandon reading it over a weekend, these guys would take five and six months to read a draft and then be not certain.. One of the things I got was, ” This is a good script about apples.. What if it was about oranges?” And I said, ” We already agreed on the story!” It was a very frustrating situation..”

” At one point they said, this is a pretty good script, maybe we should re – make the original miniseries first.. Warners and I said, Why? We were sitting with the creative heads of NBC and they said, ” It wasn’t our idea.. It was the marketing department that thought it would be a good idea..” I think that says it.. It gives you a sense of who’s running the show, why networks have gotten themselves into bad places..”

V: So now you’re shopping V:TSG elsewhere, maybe to a cable network?

KJ: ” Yes, but your market is limited because they’re also branded..V: The Second Generation won’t work on The Cooking Channel or Lifetime in spite of the fact my largest audience has always been female..”

V: Sci – Fi Channel would seem like the obvious outlet..

KJ: ” Sci Fi wanted to doV:The Second Generation as is and Warners refused to make a deal.. It wasn’t just V.. Warners had at least two or three other projects.. They were trying to work out a deal for V and a new version of ” It ” and something with George Clooney.. Warners and NBC Universal, which owns Sci – Fi, could not work out a deal.. It was like Ford and Chevy trying to get together to make a car..”

“We got close at AMC.. They were interested but after the success of their first miniseries they only wanted to do Westerns and World War II.. After that, there are not a lot of places that have the kind of money we need, $20 million, in order to do it right..”

“But writing the novel was so much fun, delving into the motivations and depths of psychological drama and still maintain for fans ofV the level of action and drama and intrigue and paranoia and suspense of living in nightmarish alien occupation.. I’m tickled that people are enthused about it.. I can now take it out and say, ” Look, it’s a book, it ought to be a movie!” That’s part of the process we’re involved in now.. I think there’s a good chance V will find its way behind the camera pretty soon..”

V: Did you discuss this sequel with the primary cast members?

KJ: ” The principals I did.. Any of them could have been recast.. We see that happen.. But I have huge affection for Marc [ Singer ], Faye [ Grant ], Jane [ Badler ] and Bobby [ Englund ] as well as some supporting players.. For me the fun for the audience was having them see the same faces 20 years older.. What a rare thing to be able to do that..”

Kenneth Johnson, thank you very much!

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Exclusive, Kenneth Johnson, V: The Second Generation - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

News broke a couple weeks ago about ABC greenlighting a pilot for a remake of 1983′s V.. ABC gave the pilot, written by ‘ The 4400 ‘ co – creator, Scott Peters, the go ahead and Bailey Salinger himself, Scott Wolf ( ‘Patry of Five,’ ‘ Double Dragon ‘ ) is signed on.. Also attached is Morris Chestnut ( ‘ The Game Plan ‘ )..

Wolf will play the series regular role Chad Decker, a TV newscaster who turns Baltar and becomes the Visitors’ propaganda tool.. Which is a similar role to Kristine Walsh played by Jenny Sullivan in the original mini series..

Actress Morena Baccarin is about to invade the planet earth too.. She has been cast in a lead role..Baccarin played the Ori leader Adria in the tenth season of ‘ Stargate SG – 1,’ and in the DVD movie ‘ Stargate: The Ark of Truth..’ She’s also well – known to genre fans as Inara Serra in ‘ Firefly..’

Baccarin, 29, will play Anna, described as ” the leader of the Visitors who is remarkably knowledgeable about human culture and media manipulation..” The character appears to be the remake’s answer to Diana, our very own Jane Badler..

The new version of V is planned as an ongoing series, and is expected to follow a somewhat different narrative from the original.. Meaning, don’t expect any of the characters you knew from before.. I’m thinking this thing is going to be heavily ‘ BSG ‘ – influenced..

Whereas the original mini series was an allegory about the holocaust and the role, which human resistance played in ending it.. The new version will centre on a female Homeland Security agent..

Instead of focusing the resistance on cameraman Mike Donovan ( Marc Singer ) and Dr. Juliet Parrish ( Faye Grant ), the new V will focus on Erica Evans, ” a Homeland Security agent with an aimless son who has some serious problems.. When the aliens arrive, her son gloms on to them – which causes major tension in her family..”

Unattached, however, is the creator of V, Kenneth Johnson.. His comments below:

” You are correct that I am not involved with the new ABC / Warners TV pilot based on my original premise of V.. I understand that their ” reimagined ” take is quite different.. The guys involved are gentlemen and I wish them well..”

” I own the motion picture rights to V and have turned down offers from several major studios whose vision of V as a movie doesn’t correspond to my own.. We are currently working to set up V as an independent feature..”

” My prime desire is to bring big – screen production values to the new V movie while carefully protecting the timeless story, the characters, quality, integrity and substance that make my original V such a favorite of worldwide audiences and a critically acclaimed, international landmark..”

” You mentioned the classical training I received at Carnegie – Mellon’s Depart of Drama.. I think that education has absolutely helped me to steep my science fiction work with more substance and social significance than usually found in the genre.. To my delight, audiences and critics have generally agreed..”

” I’ve been very lucky to have the work that my friends and I have done score successfully not only with the public, but with reviewers as well.. The best of all possible worlds..”

Kenny’s sequel DOES keep the old characters, and he’s talked to the various actors from the original mini – series..Kenneth also has been in talks with Marc Singer and Robert Englund, who are both keen to come back to work with Kenny.. He is still in talks with other original cast members..

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Kenneth Johnson, Scott Peters, V: The New Series - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

If you were a kid of the 1980′s like I was, then you remember how huge V was back in 1983.. How big was V?

The original four hour mini – series was a landmark event in television.. The initial broadcast in North America drew and kept 80 million viewers! It was NBC’s highest rated program for two and a half years.. The ratings still places it among the Top 15 Mini – Series in all of television history.. V was named by TV Guide as Number Five among The Top 25 Sci – Fi Legends in TV History and was selected by Entertainment Weekly as one of the The 25 Greats: The Best Sci – Fi TV & Movies of The Last 25 Years.. V’s 2001 DVD release became an instant best – seller worldwide with no advertising or promotion.. Video sales are over 2.5 million units..

For a hot minute now, Kenneth Johnson, V‘s creator has been trying to get the movie and a true sequel to his original mini – series made ( V: The Second Generation based on his novel ).. The juggernaut that was V, I’m sure it will find a home soon.. As little as two weeks ago on Kenneth Johnson’s website, he claims that folks are working hard to bring it before cameras..

I loved it as a kid and was thrilled when I was able to score the 145 page script dated September 1, 2007.. V: The Movie is a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed 1983 two – part television mini series..

So what’s the verdict?

Loved it then, and love it still.. The script’s biggest success is modernizing the premise into a well – paced story that draws parallels to the modern war in Iraq.. As a script, V: The Movie tells an epic story solidly.. The plot follows many key and important characters but focuses mainly on news cameraman Mike as he fights his way to expose the true nature of the hostile alien threat, while joining a small but growing number of human resisters against the alien occupation..

The story worked 25 years ago and still works today.. The lead characters, the central conflict and the overall plot are extremely similar to ‘ Independence Day ‘and ‘ V For Vendetta ‘ and in fact V: The Movie could be pitched as those two mentioned rolled into one.. Drawing upon the major Orwellian themes found in the aforementioned films, while coupling it with a blood thirsty hostile alien race looking to steal earth’s resources and enslaving mankind, the script is no doubt HUGELY commercial!

Here is the summary of V: The Movie.. Warning spoilers lay ahead..

Mike Donovan, 35 a news cameraman, is caught in the middle of a war between rebel fighters and government military somewhere in Africa.. He films the bloody battle unfold with the help of his assistant and partner Tony Lee, 35, just as a military attack helicopter explodes in midair.. Confused, the pair look up into the sky to see a giant, looming alien craft engulf the sky.. Meanwhile, Julie Parish, 26 and a med student, sits in her bio – research lab showing off her cancer treatment discoveries when a TV is turned on and a newscast reveals that huge alien crafts have arrived at all major cities around the globe..

Later in New York, a huge alien ship looms overhead and asks to speak to the head of the United Nations.. Once the Secretary General agrees to speak with the aliens ( The Visitors as they will be referred to as ), the aliens reveal they come in peace and seek human help to save their dying planet.. They ask to transform existing chemical plants to manufacture their needed element.. In a gesture of good will, they invite humans onboard their craft.. Having come home from Africa, Mike is selected to board the alien craft to take pictures and forward them to the rest of the world..

Having now established human trust, the Visitors and humans implement a joint law enforcement task force to curb violence.. With this, the Visitors secretly and menacingly start killing and kidnapping many scientists worldwide.. With the public still unaware of what is occurring, they broadcast a message to the world saying that scientists have implemented a conspiracy against the Visitors and that they are endangering their efforts to help mankind.. Just as soon as it’s started, a global hatred for scientists and their families springs up..

Mike and Tony uncover evidence that the Visitors may not be who they say they are.. Mike is able to sneak onboard the alien mother ship in an effort to gain some answers.. He’s shocked to discover that the Visitors eat live animals and are reptilian in appearance, instead of human like they present themselves to be.. A Visitor sees Mike and attacks him, ensuing in a small struggle.. Mike is able to escape the ship with some wounds, but in the process alerts the aliens to his hostile intentions.. Mike is able to get most of what he saw on video and tries to air the footage at the television station, but is blocked by the Visitors who label Mike as a terrorist and offer a substantial reward for his capture..

As the Visitors tighten control on the world and implement marshal law, Julie decides she’s had enough of the Visitors and the backlash she faces for being involved in science.. She creates the Resistance organization, aimed at ousting and exposing the Visitors, and manages to find some people that are willing to fight for the cause.. Meanwhile, Mike and Tony enter a Visitor chemical plant to sabotage it, but are faced with Visitor Troops.. They lose the battle and are hauled off to the mother ship.. Onboard, Mike gets a glimpse of the shocking truth when he discovers humans being tortured and imprisoned.. Martin, a 40 – year – old Visitor sympathetic to the Resistance, tells Mike he’ll help him escape and to get away as fast as he can..

Having now established a small Resistance movement, Julie takes in the newly escaped Mike.. She offers Mike insight on the movement as Mike tells of his experience on board the ship.. They agree that Mike should once again go onboard to see if he can get more answers and somehow sabotage the Visitor effort.. Once Mike sneaks onboard, Julie and the Resistance attack a military armory to stock up on much needed firepower..

Mike makes his way through the depths of the mother ship.. He runs into Martin, who tells him that the Visitors are there to take all of Earth’s precious water and that they want humans for food and for slave troops back on their home planet.. They don’t want to share the water, but take it all for themselves.. Meanwhile outside the mother ship, many Visitor fighter crafts attack the humans and Resistance fighters below.. The Resistance furiously battle back, with the help of Mike and his stolen alien fighter, and are able to take down a few fighter crafts.. They taste victory as they win the battle with the Visitors..

Three months later, one of the girls in the Resistance gives birth to a half – breed baby from an apparent earlier sexual encounter with a Visitor.. The Resistance realizes that the only hope of survival and victory against the Visitors is to send out a distress signal into space in hopes of another alien race, enemies to the Visitors, pick up the signal and come to help out mankind.. Out in space, an alien insectoid ship picks up the signal and decides to head to earth to assist humans in battling the Visitors..

Yes, the movie ends on a cliffhanger which leads into V: The Second Generation.. I also managed to score the script to the sequel, V: The Second Generation and will take a look at it in a future script review..

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Exclusive, Kenneth Johnson - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -

Aloha all.. Update from Kenny..

ABC and Warners TV continue to develop a reimagined version of V for a possible episodic TV series, with which Kenny is not involved.. This does not affect Kenny’s ongoing efforts to remake his original classic as a major motion picture..

Kenny’s prime desire is to bring big – screen production values to the new V movie while carefully protecting the timeless story, the characters, quality, integrity and substance that make his original V such a favorite of worldwide audiences and a critically acclaimed, international landmark..

More soon..

Posted on - 16-05-2009
Categories: Kenneth Johnson, V: The Second Generation - Author: madbeeotch - Comments: Leave a Comment -