‘Star Trek’ TV Series: Bryan Fuller To Serve As Showrunner
Bryan Fuller, who started his writing career with the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager TV series, is coming full circle, returning to the television franchise as co-creator and executive producer of the new CBS Star Trek series, slated to launch in 2017. The new gig fulfills a long-time dream for Fuller, who has stated repeatedly over the years that he would love to created a new Star Trek series, and comes during the year that marks the franchise’s 50th anniversary.
“My very first experience of Star Trek is my oldest brother turning off all the lights in the house and flying his model of a D7 Class Klingon Battle Cruiser through the darkened halls. Before seeing a frame of the television series, the Star Trek universe lit my imagination on fire,” said Fuller. “It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before.”
Shepherded by Kurtzman, who will serve as executive producer, the series will premiere in January 2017 with a preview broadcast on CBS followed by an exclusive run in the U.S. on CBS All Access.
The Star Trek series is not expected to interfere with Fuller’s duties as executive producer of Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods. Hannibal and Pushing Daisies creator Fuller has an experienced partner on that show, exec producing it with Michael Green.
“Bringing Star Trek back to
television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan’s devoted care,” said Kurtzman. “His encyclopedic knowledge of ‘Trek’ canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic future, a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds.”
The new Star Trek series will run concurrently with the feature franchise. The show is not related to the upcoming installment Star Trek Beyond, which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.
Star Trek will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman, Fuller and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. CBS Studios International will distribute the series concurrently for television and multiple platforms worldwide.
“For the past 50 years, Star Trek has been a groundbreaking franchise that not only changed the landscape of television, but made a significant impact on pop culture,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “When we began discussions about the series returning to television, we immediately knew that Bryan Fuller would be the ideal person to work alongside Alex Kurtzman to create a fresh and authentic take on this classic and timeless series. Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer, but a genuine fan of ‘Star Trek.’ Having someone at the helm with his gravitas who also understands and appreciates the significance of the franchise and the worldwide fan base was essential to us.”
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