A new version of V, Kenneth Johnson's alien invasion miniseries, is set to invade ABC next year.

The 4400 executive producer Scott Peters has been commissioned to produce the new series based on his own script, after Warner Brothers asked him to consider revitalising the franchise.

"Whenever I mention V to anybody, they still have a lot of good memories about the original movie and series," Peters told Variety. "Everybody has that imagery of their uniforms, or the visitor eating a hamster. It’s a science fiction icon and too good to pass up."

The original two-night miniseries spawned a sequel as well as a one-season TV series. Babylon 5 creator J Michael Straczynski was commissioned to write a continuation in 1989, while Kenneth Johnson recently novelised his proposed reinvention. Peters' version is a reinvention, focusing on Homeland Security agent Erica Evans and her aimless son's stories when the alien invaders arrive.