News hit yesterday of The CW picking up a pilot for a reboot of the late '90s classic Le Femme Nikita. Somewhere, thousands of 30-somethings grasped their burning arms, revealing a darkening tattoo of Peta Wilson donning a pair of stylish sunglasses, because let's face it: Nikita had one hell of a cult following.
In 1997, before the days of DVRs, the American reality TV explosion, and the Bush administration, USA debuted a series based on a French film with a similar title. La Femme Nikita was the number-one drama on basic cable during its first two seasons.The premise of the show focused on a counter-terrorist organization, not unlike creator Joel Surnow's later work, 24.
Nikita (Peta Wilson) is falsely accused of manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison. Soon thereafter, the government fakes her death and she is transformed into an expertly trained assassin for Section One. Michael (Roy Dupuis) spends two years training Nikita to use her beauty as a weapon. As an innocent woman, her compassion constantly conflicts with the merciless missions assigned to her, and although she is initially disinclined to kill, Nikita eventually finds a balance between her new role and her sense of humanity.
Some of the magic of Nikita lay in its low budget, as the lack of funds forced writers to de-emphasize expensive action sequences and instead rely on well-crafted dialogue and intricate plots. Unfortunately, the show's success quickly slumped when USA switched presidents from Rod Perth to Stephen Chao. The network made drastic cuts to Nikita's promotional budget and had unsuccessful attempts to exploit its popularity. The most notable and bizarre of Chao's actions was requiring that Nikita cast professional wrestlers in leading terrorist roles as a way to cross-promote USA's broadcasts of the World Wrestling Federation. The series was eventually canceled in 2000, but devout fans mounted an extensive campaign to revive it.
"Save LFN" was a valiant effort. Fans were inventive, writing over 25,000 letters, forming online petitions and eventually getting a full-page ad printed in The Hollywood Reporter, with requests that USA and Warner Brothers reconsider the cancellation. As a result, Chao announced in September 2000 that La Femme Nikita would return for a final fifth season (albeit condensed to eight new episodes), which began airing in January 2001.
There's no doubt that Nikita had an enormous impact on other works. The show debuted around the same time as Buffy, helping start the genre of dark, ass-kicking action heroines on television like Dark Angel (2000) and Alias (2001).
Despite everything, while Joel Surnow went on to create 24, most of the actors vanished as far as American television viewers are concerned. Peta Wilson wasn't in anything afterward except for the underwhelming League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Roy Dupuis pretty much stuck to Canadian productions.
Still, it's incredible to see how devoted Nikita fans were to the series. The largest unofficial fan page was updated as recently as October 2008, and a long-running "Save LFN" message board has been revived because of the CW news. I'm curious if fans would watch a reboot, or if this is the sort of show that should remain untouched in history.
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I loved this show and I think it should remain untouched. Come on, there can never be another Michael. Plus, as much as I'm loving TVD and SPN, and LU aint to bad so far, I doubt the CW can do this show justice. It wouldn't appeal to their target audience. They would have to cast much younger stars for the roles and sensationalize the storylines which would instantly detract from the underlying maturity to the characters and plot that made the show so good in the first place.
Thank you for crediting La Femme Nikita for blazing the way for all of those girls-kick-ass shows. Because cable didn't get the respect it does now for creativity, this show didn't receive the credit it deserved. 'Alias" was a straight rip off of LFN, with a larger budget. I followed the team to "24", but feel it lacks the heart that this show had. I hope LFN remains untouched.
This is the most exciting news I've heard in a year. I loved the show and only found out about it via Netflix later on. I won't be upset if Peta Wilson doesn't end up with a lead role, but it would bother me if they don't at least include her as a supporting actress in the new show. The other actors I could live with or without, but she was the heart and soul. As far as leaving the series untouched goes, I could not disagree more. The last season and a half was a trainwreck and even the producers knew that. In an attempt to try and outdo themselves, they killed off beloved characters, brought them back and used storylines that really didn't make any sense. To let the show end on this note would be the real tragedy. With some edgy writing, some creative plot lines (not too creative though) and a return to the basic premise I think they could get another 6 years of story out of the show. This is one that I'll definitely be tuning in for.
The LFN in my user name is because of this show. Not sure how a reboot will do, but I'll sure give it a shot.
Heh, this could be fun! Or a trainwack of 90210 proportions!
Any ideas for casting?
I think Katee Sackhoff could make an awesome Nikita!
Or maybe for some reason Dichen Lachman (Sierra from Dollhouse. She´ll be out of work soon enough...)
I can´t think of anyone for Miachel though... guy was sooo subtle...
Possible roles for Peta Wilson:
She could be head of Center maybe called Ms. Jones or as the Madeline reboot.
I wish Roy Dupuis would do another television show Canadian or American, though I don't think he'd agree to be a part of a new LFN.
Getting Wilson on the new show would definitely attract the old fans, I'd wager.
Possible Nikita: Adrienne Palicki...for reals.
She would be good. Although, if we're going with Supernatural alum I'd rather have Alona Tal. Come on, casting directors! She was in the Israeli army in real life, she's a genuine badass. Let her be that on screen!
La Femme Nikita was a well crafted, heartfelt and mature tv show. I watched it every sunday and loved the angst and tension between Michael and Nikita. There will never be another Walter, Birkoff, Operations, Madeline, and a Michael and Nikita as worthy as the original show. This new creation will be something that will probably only focus on Nikita's beauty and it might be successful but as far as memorable? It will lack in almost every capacity. RIP LFN. Jacques and Josephine forever.
I had a hard time watching Alias because it felt like a LFN rip off to me.I kinda wish the CW wouldn't remake it because I doubt they'll do it any justice.
I loved LFN and am still mightily upset at how freakin' expensive the DVD's remain. Roy Dupuis was just the best thing ever as Michael. The heartless, coldblooded killer who fell for Nikita. I love SPN but that's all on the CW and I can't see this being a success. That being said, stranger things have happened. Will wait and see.
To be honest, I don't want the original actors anywhere near this. Let this be a completely new. It'll suffer enough comparisons as it is.
The actresses being suggested are great, but too much like the actresses and actors who portrayed the originals. I don't want Nikita Mk2. I want to see what someone else will do with the same source material.
Hopefully we'll see some non-white actors in the lead roles. Disabled actors maybe in the supporting roles. Maybe Opperations is a seriously bad ass dwarf. Maybe "Madeleine" is in a wheelchair. maybe the computer expect is deaf or autistic.
Wow. As much as I loved that show (and still harbor a now-smaller but still-there crush on Roy Dupuis), I don't think it could be replicated. Or should be. The real strength of the show was always about the connections between the characters, the power plays and the politics, and who's betraying whom this week, and I can't imagine the CW being the right network to launch a show like that; it's totally the wrong audience.
If it were on one of the cable channels, and someone could come up with the next evolution of the source material, then maybe I'd be interested. USA has been pushing "characters welcome" for quite a while now, and might be able to do justice to the possibilities; or go to TNT or one of the premium channels.
As for actors, though, I'd vote for nothing more than cameos from the original series. For those of us who loved the original, the actors are so iconic that it's hard to imagine them being replaced. In my mind it's better to use the concept, give it a new twist, and let the characters develop along their own lines without trying to exactly replicate who they work before. I'm thinking something along the lines of Casino Royale with a blond James Bond; remember how people freaked out about that and then it turned out to be its own kind of awesome?
I think LFN should remain untouched. I do think that something with a lead kick ass female should come back to tv. I think if LFN came back it could never be like the original.
As others have said, the CW could never do this show justice. Much as I hated to see LFN end, I cannot imagine the show without its heart and soul ... Nikita and Michael. The character growth for both of them (I'm pretending most of the last season didn't happen) was incredible, moving and some of the best acting I've seen.
So, please, unless we can somehow figure out how to get Roy Dupuis, Peta Wilson and the rest of the original actors back together, please don't reboot!
P.S. Nikita could kick Sydney's Bristow's butt from here to China.
My first inclination was to go, "Nonononono." Then I thought it might be cool. Currently, I'm back on the negative side, but as a fan of La Femme Nikita from way back in 1997, I will definitely give it a shot.
With good writing, a well-plotted storyline, and a strong cast, a LFN reboot could be spectacular. It would have to be different- not only is it impossible to find another Michael (because Dupuis played that character with such nuance), but because the whole idea of terrorism and extremes of counter terrorism is so different in the public consciousness now than when the show first debuted.
If they can make the new Nikita their own, craft characters that are as strong as the originals but different, and show us a Section One that exists in the *now*, I think there's a chance for this show.
The fact that it's on the CW? Does not bode well for the kind of show this would need to be. The only show on the CW that has the grittiness, the edge, that Nikita needs is Supernatural, and that's an anomaly on that network.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand the new series could never compete against the amazing original cast. On the other hand, if the writing was handled in a fresh, new way, they may be able to create a series that's extraordinary. I would love to see Peta Wilson and Roy Dupuis come back in senior rolls, even if they agreed to come as guest stars. This could work.
Surnow featured Madeleine, Operations and the neighbor (Morris!) on 24. As long as your blog reads like a half hour spent using google, maybe a little more effort would be of use.
As to the reboot? I don't have much faith in the CW to make it into something I'd watch. They're not known for the nuances, which, for most of the seasons, LFN did well.
I would LOVE to see an LFN sequel that brings us up to date on, especially Nikita and Michael. But then, maybe it's best left as is and we can all create our own updates.
Personally, I'll always believe that their love and connection was deep enough, they will find a way to be together, at some time.
I think I'm remembering this show differently. In my memory, it was a cheesy knockoff of the ridiculously superior French film. And since Buffy was actually filmed in 1996 and aired in the first few months of 1997, I think it's safe to say that LFN didn't help kickstart the ass-kicking girl genre so much as jump on the bandwagon. I would welcome yet another attempt at this formula. One day, the Americans are sure to get it right.
LFN remains one of my favorite shows of all time. I don't know about this reboot. The CW won't do it justice. Besides, didn't they already do a redo with Alias? That show to me was a watered down version of LFN with a bigger budget.
I guess we'll wait and see. And Sunshine I still have a tiny crush on Roy Dupuis. The only man I forgave for a mullet.
The network reboot of Nikita was Alias. ABC already did a version of Nikita without the edge.
With 24 getting bashed for being politically incorrect about portrayals of terrorism and torture, how can the CW reboot Nikita with any of the edge? Especially without Joel Surnow.
ONLY if Roy and Peta came back. There CANNOT be another Michael or Nikita. Roy and Peta made those characters, and the show , as famous as it was. Anything else would be an injustice.
The shows on the CW are not known for thier substance, LFN had that they were not just pretty faces. It would be nice to see Roy and Peta come back to close that chapter, but I don't see anyone at the CW writing something that Roy or Peta would step into. Roy is a huge star in Canada and Europe he would not be easy to get
I agree, the CW mostly has shows for preteen girls. If they do a reboot it won't be for the fans of the old show.
As far as Alias, as soon as I saw the way the main character reacted in combat situations the show was ruined for me. The show was mostly about "Which pretty outfit will the main character wear today?" Which, as a women, I can get into... but, well, I guess it all came down to the main character runs like a girl, not a trained assassin ;)
I think LFN,was unique thanks of the wonderful cast and crew. This cannot be repeat it at all!!! That show was one of a kind an so ahead of its time. And,can`t be anothers Michael and NIkita. Imposible!!.If you say M and N ,you say Roy Dupuis and Peta Wilson. Come on!! There`s no others. I'm afraid that if they make the reboot they going to ruin the concept, the acting,the aesthetic, the scripts. They already did it whit "Alias". Please! dont`t do it again!. If LFN returns should be continuing the story w/ the same actors, otherwise... Leave things like they are, don`t destroy an icon.
Thinking about it, to me it doesn't matter too much if the original cast returns to the new show. Sure, I loved all of them and wish we would see more of them on American television, but the thing that really made Nikita great was the way the story was told. If they can do the same writing with a cast that even sort of fills the shoes of the original, they will have something more watchable than 99.99% of what else is on television. Though it would totally kick ass if they could make it a continuation of the original.
NOBODY CAN POSSIBLY take Peta Wilson's place, no way, no how. Without Peta Wilson there is NO La Femme Nikita, plain and simple.
I have to agree with those that are saying 'no!' Sorry, but as a fan who never missed an episode (defying my parents to 'go to bed') and owns the DVDs and still watches them every once in a while, this show can never be remade, it was too special. The only thing I want to see come from any studio would be a movie and only if they have the same producers, directors, writers and actors. Think of it, Nikita as Operations since that's how the show was left. Maybe she's moved on to Oversight by now - it has been 9 years since she took over but Paul was there for 30 so who knows. But a reboot? Absolutely NOT!
Aún no estoy convencida del trabajo que harán con la serie, si se da el proyecto, claro que me gustaria que la misma retomara la historia de Michael y Nikita su reencuentro para cristalizar su amor fuera de la Sección Uno, que los dejen es paz y aqui en este punto comience la nueva historia.....algo asi
First, I'd like to encourage all to write comments to the CW, they have an online contact form for suggestions, ideas, etc. If they see how many fans want Peta & Roy back, you just never know what might happen.
What's frustrating is reading their current description of the new series, which seems to focus on more martial arts and action and pretty faces, and you're all right, that WAS Alias! Why do that again? All it does is water down the plots and leave little room for story and drama. That was one of the reasons I loved LFN so much, that it didn't focus on blowing things up. We've seen enough of that, 6 days a week to Sunday. For me to watch it, they have to bring Peta and Roy back. I wish Joel Surnow would come back, but he probably realizes it would be risking the legacy of the show. I'd like to see P & R as Madeline and Operations, which to me would be a logical step that would also allow them to bring in their youngster as the new Nikita.
I have to agree with the majority of posts here. LFN can't be duplicated. It would be wonderful if we could get the majority of the old cast back along with a majority of the writing staff because they already know how to do LFN right. But I don't think that's going to happen, unfortunately. Other than that...I'm not looking forward to it.
The CW just doesn't do shows with the feel that LFN was about. And without the original cast...it's just a cheap copy with a name that doesn't belong to it.
Most fans of the LFN series couldn't care less if they never saw Peta Wilson again. It was Roy Dupuis's good looks and charm that made the show popular. Bring Roy back but recast Nikita with someone younger and more feminine if you are going to give the show another round
If I was describe LFN in a word it would be "addictive". This is the best TV series I have ever seen and the only show to come near it is "24". Like others I would like to see Peta in any remake but whether they could recapture what made this show great I have my doubts. Having said that I for one would watch a remake especially if it had Peta Wilson in it.
My first reaction was "Oh God No!" Now I think I'll watch the new show before passing judgment because in all honesty, I had the exact same reaction, if not worse, when I heard the first series was being made. I loved the original film to death. I wound up watching the show one day, by chance, in it's second season and became a die hard fan. Let's just hope they don't do a 90210 version of the show since it's on the CW.
THERE IS ONLY ONE LFN. You cannot duplicate or copy the force/energy which made this show a forever favorite. Nikita, Michael, Operations and Madeline: Who can come close to that combination.
Judging from the previews, it seems more like a remake of the original movie Nikita and not LFN. In the movie Nikita escaped, and also the characters look more like the Nikita and Michael from the movie than from LFN.
I'm excited to see it, hopefully CW doesn't screw it up.
NONONONO! There is no LFN without Peta and Roy, I still have mad crushes on both!Their chemistry was awesome. When it was cancelled I remember thinking what are they doing? Are these people stupid? I couldnt watch Alias either because it was not the same it will never be as good as the original it's like redoing classic movies, it shouldnt happen. There's only a few that don't suck! please please please if you are going to redo it, give us back Roy and Peta!!! Whew they were better than porn!
I loved the original NIKITA!!! I was so upset when it canceled. I have all the series on DVD. I watch very often and never get tired of doing so. And I am not one to watch anything over ever. It's a chance to get lost in something. I agree with others about the last season and killing off the favorite characters it should have ended like they went of forever. The remake will bomb. They should have left what was good and working alone.
Like everyone else I am a huge Nikita fan with all the DVD's. I loved the passion between Michael and Nikita. I was also sad to see the main characters killed off in the end. It felt a bit rushed to get the ending. It looks like the new CW Nikita is a different version with Nikita escaping and being on the outside. I will watch since it looks like a different version which is the only way this could work vs taking off from where the original series ended as there can be no other Peta (Nikita) and Roy (Michael).
I love the show and when I found it free on line I watched in full many times. Now it has been taken off because the new show is about to start. Boowho! anyone knows of a free website I can watch it until I order my complete set of DVDs of the show.
I, for one, want Peta and Roy back..They canceled the show too soon..Now they have a some sort of a new Nikita..VERY SORRY, she is not Peta and will never be one..I think they should make a movie and bring Nikita and Michael back (Peta-Roy)No one can replace them...
Helen, you can watch LFN on www.wb.com.
The "new Nikita" just is not as good. It is like having a "knock-off" Rolex. I do not think any other actors could bring the intensity to Nikita and Michael, except for Peta Wilson and Roy Dupris. Bring back the original cast and the original show. They have my vote 100 percent. PLEASE BRING THEM BACK!! They are sorely missed by their fans. Thanks!
Thanks for the information. I have one set of DVD's, but this would be nice to watch as well. Sincerely!
La femme nikita do we still wa.. Great! :)
La femme nikita do we still wa.. May I repost it? :)
La femme nikita do we still wa.. WTF? :)
La femme nikita do we still wa.. WTF? :)
La femme nikita do we still wa.. Slap-up :)
La femme nikita do we still wa.. Ho-o-o-o-t :)
I was a massive fan of the original series from 1997 - 2001. Roy and Peta steamed up my tv Sunday after Sunday as Michael and Nikita. I was seriously skeptical about the reboot. And having seen a couple of scenes on Youtube, I was right. Maggie Q and Shane's portrays are laughable. There's absolutely no chemistry between them. The guy who plays Birkoff is a total idiot and PERCY??? SERIOUSLY? That's what fans of LFN called Operations before we found out his name was Paul! Division? Really? It's Section One, dumbasses. Forget this series. It's a watered down version of an amazing show that shouldn't ever be 'rebooted.' I wish they'd given us a freakin' TV movie with Peta and Roy instead of the drivel we currently have.
Bring back peta and roy for a one off TV special
Bring back the original-10 yrs later.