Desilu Studios, Inc announced today that it will bring the long awaited sci-fi feature film V The Movie, a big-budget treatment of the highly successful, critically-acclaimed 80's mini-series to movie screens worldwide. The film will be written and directed by the original's creator, Kenneth Johnson and produced by John Hermansen and Barry Opper. Here's what Kenneth Johnson had to say about this new project.

"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."

Maverick businessman Charles B. Hensley acquired the Desilu brand with a vision of reimagining Desilu into a global entertainment and commercial empire. The highly sought-after project was brought to Desilu by development executive Sean Stone. Here's what Charles B. Hensley had to say in a statement about bringing this hit TV series to the big screen.

"Desilu was revolutionary in its time and as the saying goes, everything old is new again. Coming from the consumer products space, it makes sense for the company's trajectory and shareholders to focus on film and television properties with high merchandising and licensing potential such as V The Movie Franchise."

The original miniseries follows a race of aliens who arrive on Earth appearing as human but requiring special glasses to protect their eyes; a few suspicious humans discover their true intentions to take over the planet and prepare to resist. It was followed by the three-part mini-series V: The Final Battle, and then continued on in the original series, which was set a year after Liberation Day, when the humans finally won, courtesy of the red-dust bacteria. The humanoid, lizard-like aliens developed a resistance to the micro-organism and try to regain control of the Earth, only now some humans are knowingly working with them. The series starred Jane Badler (Diana), June Chadwick (Lydia), Jennifer Cooke (Elizabeth Maxwell), Robert Englund (Willie), Faye Grant (Dr. Julie Parrish), Marc Singer (Mike Donovan), Jeff Yagher (Kyle Bates) and Michael Ironside (Ham Tyler). Here's what Michael Mann, Exec VP Business Development, added in his statement.

"Identifying and driving valuable allied profit centers, maximizing income potential for each property is our ideal content model."

The original weekly series aired for just one 19-episode season between 1984 and 1985, but the show developed a sizable cult following, with its miniseries being released as movie on DVD. In 2009, ABC rebooted the series, which aired for 22 episodes in two seasons between 2009 and 2011. Original series creator Kenneth Johnson returned to co-create this series alongside Scott Peters, with a new cast that included Elizabeth Mitchell (Erica Evans), Morris Chestnut (Ryan Nichols), Joel Gretsch (Father Jack Landry), Logan Huffman (Tyler Evans), Laura Vandervoort (Lisa), Morena Baccarin (Anna), Scott Wolf (Chad Decker) and Christopher Shyer (Marcus). Here's what Desilu Exec VP Steven Posen had to say in his statement.

"V is a multi-billion dollar film franchise and merchandising juggernaut. We couldn't be more excited and honored to bring this film to the millions of devoted fans worldwide."

V creator Kenneth Johnson was also responsible for creating another 1980s cult classic, Alien Nation, which spawned a number of TV movies in the 1990s. There was also talk at one time of a new theatrical remake of Alien Nation, with Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special) coming aboard to direct in September 2016, although we haven't heard any further developments since then. Here's what Desilu's Sean Stone had to say in his statement.

"It's no small irony that the new Desilu will be building on the sci-fi tradition with V, considering Desilu was the original studio responsible for Star Trek!"

No story details about the sci-fi trilogy have been released at this time, and there is no indication if the movies will follow the story lines told in the original series, the 2009 remake, or if it will stand alone from what has come before. Desilu Studios, Inc. is a Delaware corporation engaged in film, television, merchandising, content streaming, theme parks and cinemas. To learn more about Desilu Studios visit DesiluStudios.com.