"Hannibal" creator Bryan Fuller has been tabbed as the showrunner and co-creator of CBS's new "Star Trek" series. It's a nice fit, as the longtime sci-fi fan began his writing career on "Star Trek: Voyager" (1997-2001) and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1997).
"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," Fuller said, according to Variety. "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."
The new series is expected to debut on CBS in January 2017 before moving to CBS's All Access digital subscription service. It will be the first original series to premiere on a broadcast network but stream primarily on an on-demand service.
"Bringing 'Star Trek' back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan's devoted care," executive producer Alex Kurtzman said. "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 series will introduce characters and societies not yet seen in the canon created from the original series and films franchises.
"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 of 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."
"Star Trek Beyond," the third film in the rebooted franchise, will arrive in theaters later this year.
