Original star Marc Singer returns to V

By Dan Owen /

The producers of ABC's V have a plan to reverse the sci-fi remake's decline when the show returns in January: lure in the old fans by casting actors who starred in the classic '80s version! Simple. We already know that Jane Badler (who famously played rat-eating alien Diana) is returning as the mother of Morena Baccacrin's seductive Anna, but now it's been revealed that Marc Singer (who played Mike Donovan in the original) has been cast as a character called Lars Tremont, a member of an organization suspicious of the extra-terrestrial visitors. Singer, also a cult favourite for headlining The Beastmaster franchise, is expected to make his debut in the tenth episode, which is also the show's finale. Does this retro casting renew your interest in the new V, or is such "stunt-casting" a clear sign of desperation? This tactic worked fine for Battlestar Galactica's 2003 remake, which cast original star Richard Hatch as recurring villain -- but will it work for V? Find out when the sci-fi drama returns to ABC on 4 January 2011.