Fine, Feathered Fiends

Feathers could fly when CBS attempts to follow in the legendary footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock with a TV sequel to “The Birds,” the director’s 1963 thriller about a small town besieged by flocks of winged killers.

“We’re very well aware of what we’re taking on,” says Charmaine Balian, senior vice president of drama development for Universal Television, which is producing the TV movie, now in “early” pre-production. “We’re trying to approach it very thoughtfully so that the movie will stand on its own. Obviously, our hats are off to Hitchcock in the process.”

“The Birds II” (working title) will feature “a whole new storyline, with new characters,” Balian adds. “The only continuing characters are the birds.”

The plot will have “some relevancy” to environmental concerns, Balian hints, explaining that “birds are part of nature, and to some extent our story is about the misfiring of nature.” Like the original film, which was based on a Daphne du Maurier short story, the sequel will emphasize suspense over carnage. “This is not a blood and gore picture at all.”

No cast and director are set, but Balian hopes to bring back some cast and crew members from the original, which starred Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette.