Kenneth Johnson

Kenneth Johnson (born 26 October 1942) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director known for creating the V science fiction franchise and The Incredible Hulk television series. His work is primarily focused in the field of television science fiction.

Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Johnson attended Carnegie Institute of Technology. He began his television career with The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and The Incredible Hulk. He created the character Jaime Sommers and the Bionic Woman series.

In 1983, he wrote and directed the original miniseries V, depicting a reptilian alien invasion of Earth. The miniseries aired on NBC, and a year later was followed by a sequel, V: The Final Battle, which Johnson briefly contributed to before leaving the project due to disagreements with the network. He was later credited as a co-writer of the sequel under the pseudonym Lillian Weezer and had no further involvement in the subsequent weekly V television series.

In 1989, he produced the television series Alien Nation, based on the 1988 film of the same name.

In 1997, he wrote and directed the film Steel, based on the DC comic book character. The film starred basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as John Henry Irons, the character's alter-ego.

In 2006, Johnson announced the completion of a four-hour script for a new V miniseries titled V: The Second Generation. The storyline was set 20 years after the original 1983 miniseries, disregarding the second miniseries (V: The Final Battle) and the weekly television series that followed. However, NBC expressed more interest in a remake of the original V miniseries, which, if successful, might lead to Johnson's proposed sequel.

Since then, Johnson adapted his screenplay for V: The Second Generation into a novel published by Tor Books on 5 February 2008. However, following his discussions with NBC, Warner Bros (which holds the television rights to the V franchise) chose to produce a remake of V (written by Scott Peters) for the ABC Network, effectively ending any possibility of Johnson's sequel being produced for television.