Justin Lin's sequel to J.J. Abrams two Star Trek Movies, Star Trek Beyond may be deep in post production and preparing for its July 22nd, 2016 release date but it seems the Star Trek revival has been a success with news coming from CBS via ComingSoon that a new TV series is in development. Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of the aforementioned previous two Star Trek movies, may have had his name attached to Sony's ill-fated, former plans for a Spider-Man Cinematic Universe, but it seems the screenwriter and producer, will be acting as an executive producer on a new Star Trek TV serial, which will premiere January 2017 on the US VOD service CBS All Access.
The new series will feature a cast of new characters "seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966." It is not yet known whether the show will follow one of the many captains and crews of the USS Enterprise, or be set aboard another of the Federations many starships.
David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios: “There is no better time to give ‘Star Trek’ fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration. Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”
Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media: “This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run ‘Star Trek’ series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access. We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic ‘Star Trek,’ and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”
Armando Nunez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group: “Every day, an episode of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise is seen in almost every country in the world. We can’t wait to introduce ‘Star Trek’s’ next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”
Arguably the franchises greatest Captains Picard and Kirk featured in 1994's movie Star Trek Generations!
Though initially cancelled after only three seasons in 1969, the original TV series starring William Shatner and the late, great Leonard Nimoy, went on to be come a cult classic among science fiction fans during the late sixties and throughout the seventies to be revitalised as a movie franchise with 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The movie and its sequels proved popular throughout the eighties and heralded the return of the series to the small screen in 1987 with Star Trek: The Next Generation, starring Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes. The Next Generation ran for seven seasons, which along with spin-off's Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise saw the Star Trek dominate and define small screen science fiction throught the nineties. Unfortunately due to poor reception of the latter movies starring the Next Generation cast and the latter series of the spin-off's Star Trek slowly receeded back into anonymity, which led to the last spin-off, Enterprise being cancelled after its fourth season in 2005.
That was until J.J. Abrams, hot off the success of TV show Lost, revitalised the property with 2009's reboot movie starring an ensemble cast led by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. The movie, simply titled "Star Trek" saw events prior to those depicted in the original TV series altered due to the appearance of the 24th (or 25th) Century Romulan ship the Narada in the 23rd Century, its Captain Nero (Eric Bana) seeking revenge upon Leonard Nimoy's (Prime) Spock. Star Trek was followed in 2013 with Star Trek: Into Darkness, which saw British actor Benedict Cumberbatch take on the role of Khan (previously depicted by Ricardo Montalban) in a semi-remake of 1982's The Wrath of Khan. Into Darkness also featured original RoboCop actor Peter Weller as Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus; the actor had previously appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise as supremacist John Frederick Paxton.
