I was never fan of Heroes.  I thought it was poorly written with laughably bad special effects, but it found a following because it had a novel concept (or at least a novel concept for those who hadn't read J. Michael Straczynski's comic series Rising Stars).  However, the thin screenwriting became apparent over the course of 22-episode seasons, and the show eventually burnt out for those who kept hoping that there would be some consistency in the reveals or that storylines would have time to play out naturally before yet another game-changing twist.

So perhaps the show will be better suited for a 13-episode limited series.  Earlier this year, NBC announced they were launching Heroes: Reborn, and now creator Tim Kring has provided a few details on what fans can expect.  Hit the jump for more.

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Image via NBC

As far as returning characters, Jack Coleman is set to reprise his role as Noah Bennet, but for the most part, Heroes: Reborn will be comprised of new characters.  Kring tells EW:

The vast, vast majority are brand new characters, brand new ideas. [Bringing back previous characters is] really only to give a sense of continuity and a tether to the original world. If it was all completely brand new, we’d miss certain elements that need to be there to give you that bridge to cross to something new. I approached Coleman because he was a character who had a spine through the series that allowed you to meet new characters. So he’s a character I wanted to make sure had a little part at the beginning of this thing.

Surprisingly (and somewhat disconcertingly), Kring didn't come to NBC with the idea for more episodes.  They pitched him:

They saw the value in that franchise and brand and asked if I was interested in helming it again. And we had left the story in a place where we had more story to tell. So given the opportunity, I had ideas of where I wanted the story to go originally when we were hoping for a fifth season and so when we were given the opportunity five years later, some of those same thoughts were there as to where this story goes. But five years had passed and I also had new ideas on how to reboot the brand in away that gives people a whole fresh take on the series with a whole host of new characters but gives you that sense of you’re in that world of Heroes you’re familiar with.

I'm always a little uncomfortable when creators refer to their work as a "brand" because while that may be true, that's how companies talk, not writers.

As for walking the line between ringing in new viewers and retaining old ones, Kring confirmed that Heroes: Reborn will take place after season four, and "will tie into some of the ideas that were left dangling."

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