Femme Fatales FTW!
It’s been well established I love a girl who can kick ass and take names. One of my favorite lady killers has and always will be Nikita. The Hollywood Reporter just announced the CW is working on a new version of her. If they screw this up, I’ll kill them. Seriously. I’ve been trained.
There’s a pretty big name attached to the pilot. McG will be serving as executive producer according to THR. Peter Johnson, co-executive producer for CW’s Supernatural and NBC’s Chuck will join him. Writing the script for the pilot is Craig Silverstein, who’s worked on episodes of The Dead Zone and Bones previously and failed to bring a Fables adaptation to the small screen in 2006..
A quick history lesson. The concept started with the French film Nikita from The Fifth Element director Luc Besson. Then came the American version, Point of No Return starring Bridget Fonda. Finally, my personal favorite, the USA Network’s TV series La Femme Nikita with the gorgeous Peta Wilson. All three shared the now-classic dinner scene where the new recruit must shoot her way out of a restaurant. Little-known fact: La Femme Nikita actually recycled a shot of that scene from Point of No Return to save money on the show.
So, will the CW’s version be cut from the same mold that made these great female assassins? Not exactly. According to THR, “In this version, Nikita goes rogue, and a new assassin is trained to replace her.” So basically this is Nikita: The Next Generation. It’s the CW, what did you expect? I will say this, if they can convince Wilson to play the rogue Nikita in the first episode that would be pretty cool for fans. Even though the CW will probably cast some 15-year-old who I’ll mumble under my breath about saying, “She’s no Nikita!” I’m absolutely hoping for the best on this. One can never have too many dressed-to-kill female assassins out there. AMIRITE?
La Femme Nikita was a fun show with a great cast (I still think Eureka's Fargo looks a lot like Nikita's Birkoff). Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis had such chemistry. And the action scenes were well done too (something Robert Cochran brought to his other show, 24).
As it's The CW it will doubtless skew much younger than its previous incarnation. That's not necessarily a bad thing if they cast the right lead (and co-stars).
Ah, hope. That wonderful thing that usually dies when CW is mentioned in connection with a worthwhile property.
My thoughts are that they should curve really young, and try to capitalize off of what Kick-Ass will bring with Hit Girl.
Shhhhhh Randy! No one remembers that.
Isn't this the same CW you were lambasting for green-lighting a young Dick Grayson series last year???