Kenneth Culver Johnson (born October 26, 1942) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known as the creator of the ''V'' science fiction franchise as well as ''

The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction film, science fiction Action-adventure fiction, action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson (producer), Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel Cyborg (novel), ''Cyborg'' by M ...

'' (1976–78), ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' series (1977–82), and the

TV adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

(1989) of ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with th ...

''. His creative efforts are almost entirely concentrated in the area of television science fiction.

Early life

A native of

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock- North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combi ...

, Johnson is a graduate of the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Career

1970s

His early TV work includes ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is r ...

'', ''

'' and ''

''. Johnson created the character of Jaime Sommers and ''The Bionic Woman'', an American television series starring

Lindsay Wagner Lindsay Jean Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American film and television actress, model, author, singer, and acting coach. Wagner is best known for her leading role in the American science-fiction television series ''The Bionic Woman'' (1976 ...

that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin-off from ''The Six Million Dollar Man''.

1980s

In 1983, he wrote and directed the original

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

'' V'', about an invasion of Earth by reptilian aliens, originally inspired by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which wa ...

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

novel ''

It Can't Happen Here ''It Can't Happen Here'' is a 1935 dystopian political novel by American author Sinclair Lewis. It describes the rise of a United States dictator similar to how Adolf Hitler gained power. The novel was adapted into a play by Lewis and John C. M ...

'' (1935). The miniseries aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

, and a year later was followed by a sequel, '' V: The Final Battle'', which Johnson briefly worked on before leaving the project due to disagreements with the network. Johnson was subsequently credited as a co-writer of the sequel miniseries under the pseudonym Lillian Weezer, and was not involved at all in the weekly ''V'' television series that followed. He directed ''

Short Circuit 2 ''Short Circuit 2'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film, the sequel to the 1986 film ''Short Circuit''. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahveri, Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy ...

'' in 1988. In 1989, he produced the television series ''

'' based on the 1988 film of the same name.

1990s

He wrote and directed '' 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns'' in 1993, an American television movie about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, that stars Anthony Higgins as Holmes. He wrote and directed five TV movies that served as spin-offs to his ''

'' series. They were: '' Alien Nation: Dark Horizon'' (1994), '' Alien Nation: Body and Soul'' (1995), '' Alien Nation: Millennium'' (1996), '' Alien Nation: The Enemy Within'' (1996), and '' Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy'' (1997). In 1997, he wrote and directed the movie '' Steel'', based on the DC comic book character Steel. It featured basketball player

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

as John Henry Irons, the character's alter-ego. The film was a financial and critical failure. He directed the 1999

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner na ...

'' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'', starring Kirsten Storms as the eponymous heroine. The film was based on the book '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'' written by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. In 1999 he also directed '' Don't Look Under the Bed'', a

2000s

In 2006, Johnson announced his completion of a four-hour script for a new ''V'' mini series called '' V: The Second Generation''. The storyline takes place 20 years after the original 1983 mini-series, ignoring the second mini-series (''V: The Final Battle'') and subsequent weekly television series. However, NBC told Johnson that they were more interested in a remake of the original ''V'' mini-series instead, which, if successful, might lead to his proposed sequel. Since then, Johnson adapted his screenplay for ''V: The Second Generation'' into a novel. It was published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...

and released on February 5, 2008. However, since his discussions with NBC, Warner Bros (who hold the television rights to the ''V'' franchise) have opted to produce a remake of ''V'' (written by Scott Peters) for the ABC Network, thus ending any prospect of Johnson's sequel being produced for television. In April 2008, Johnson stated his intention to remake the original ''V'' mini-series and his new sequel ''V: The Second Generation'' into feature films. Johnson claimed to have been in discussions with producers interested in the project. Since this statement, Johnson's potential film production has not been developed further, although talks with potential backers are still ongoing. The Warner Bros. television remake for ABC premiered on November 3, 2009. It was canceled in 2011, after two seasons, due to low ratings.

2010s

In 2017, Johnson published the novel ''The Man of Legends''.

Personal life

Johnson married Bonnie Hollaway on February 2, 1963; the couple had three children and divorced in 1975. On June 19, 1977 (the day after completing filming of the pilot movie of ''

'' series), he married Susan Appling; they have one child.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Kenneth Johnson's page
at

Kenneth Johnson 2009 interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kenneth 1942 births American film producers American male novelists American science fiction writers American male screenwriters American television directors American television producers American television writers Carnegie Mellon University alumni Living people People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas American male television writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers Film directors from Arkansas Screenwriters from Arkansas