Ali
It was announced earlier this year that a feature film adaptation of the classic ’80s series “V”, with original series creator Kenneth Johnson writing and directing, had finally inched forward thanks some deep-pocketed folks at a shingle called Desilu.
Well, bad news for those anticipating the return of Diana and Mike Donovan anytime soon – the production company reportedly swindled Johnson and the whole thing is off.
Johnson posted on his site : “When Desilu made their splashy announcement I attached a caveat on this page — making it clear that they still had to line up the full funding. They seemed to have resources and assured us it’d be only a few weeks. But after several months of unfulfilled promises we became extremely doubtful of Desilu’s ability to actually fund and mount the production.
We heard from several other filmmakers, real estate developers, etc., who had also gotten into business with Desilu, that they too were experiencing identical non-performance on all levels.
When Desilu’s option expired with us we did not pursue any further involvement — yet they hotly pursued us, promising they would “find a way.” We had no faith in them and since mid-summer we’ve been pursuing new and far more reliable funding sources.”
There’s hope still, says Johnson, but “I never want to get fans and friends stirred up until a situation gets extremely real. Desilu Studios seemed to be — but was not. We were badly stung and angry — particularly on behalf of the expectant legions of V fans.”
Called ”V : The Movie”, the film was to be produced by John Hermansen and Barry Opper and was designed as the first of a trilogy.
It’s better news for a new take on ’80s sci-fi film “Alien Nation”, with “Bright” helmer Jeff Nichols onboard to write and direct a new version for 20th Century Fox. Though the filmmaker admits it’s been a couple of years since he started on the libretto, he remains positive that the project will come to fruition.
Nichols tells SlashFilm, “So I’ve been working on ‘Alien Nation’ like for two years, the screenplay. And I’m still … I’m almost done with it. I’m hoping this draft that I’m working on now will be my last. The studio seems to really love it, and we’re working on conception design of the aliens and everything else, and it happens to be a studio that’s being bought by Disney right now.
I’m working with Fox on it, so it feels a little bit like you’re one of those monks doing those giant murals in sand. It might just blow away, which would be a real shame, but everybody at Fox has been so good to me about it. And they’re so positive about it, obviously I’m trying to stay in the positive zone, and hopefully knock out this last draft.
It’s epic. I mean, it’s the biggest canvas I’ve ever painted on, but it 100% feels like a Jeff Nichols film, which I’m sure there are gonna be some Alien Nation fans out there that are like, ‘What the f–k?’ But my hope is if they … If people come to it just ready for a new story, that they’ll like it. And I put my heart and soul into it. To be the project that’s supposed to be me being a sell out, it is like the least … I’m not saying that to save face or be cool. I put so much of myself into it, it takes place in Arkansas. There’s so much of me in it.
When you’re making something that big, there’s just so many things that are out of your control. In a weird way, all you can control and concentrate on is the creative aspect… So hopefully Alien Nation goes, I’ve got a couple of things that I won’t say are more serious films, because ‘Alien Nation’ is actually pretty serious, but there’s a lot more traditional kind of adult movies.
I’ve got a couple of those but I haven’t settled on one, and then I’ve got a really another big PG, PG-13 kind of like summer blockbuster family film, which makes it sound real lame, but it’s not. It’s more like Mud, but with some bigger fantastical elements in it.”
The original 1998 film, from Graham Baker, starred Mandy Patinkin and James Caan as as an alien and racist detective forced to team up to catch a killer.
