Gary Levin

USA TODAY

NBC%27s 2006-10 sci fi series %27Heroes%27 being revived

Network ordered 13-episode %22event miniseries%22 for 2015.

Self-contained storyline will feature new characters but %22some%22 former stars might %22pop%22 in.

NBC's sci-fi series Heroes is being revived as a 13-episode limited series, with creator Tim Kring back at the helm but a new cast of characters and a self-contained storyline that's "shrouded in secrecy."

The series, which aired from 2006-2010, will return in 2015 as Heroes Reborn, NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke announced Saturday, adding that some former cast members might "pop" back in for cameos. The characters and plots will be introduced in a digital series that will precede the TV premiere.

Heroes was a big hit in its first season, averaging 14.5 million viewers, but ratings declined sharply afterward as some fans began to sour on its heavily serialized story about a group of people with superpowers.

Kring went on to create Touch, a Fox drama that marked star Kiefer Sutherland's return about two years after 24 ended. But the show faded quickly and was canceled after two seasons. Heroes Reborn joins 24: Live Another Day, due in May, as the latest canceled series to get a limited-run revival.

in a statement, Salke said: "The enormous impact Heroes had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening. Shows with that kind of resonance don't come around often and we thought it was time for another installment. We're thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won't rule out the possibility of some of the show's original cast members popping back in."