New ‘Star Trek’ Series in the Works from Justin Simien, Tawny Newsome
The Star Trek Universe keeps expanding at warp speed.
Justin Simien, the writer-director behind Dear White People and The Haunted Mansion, and Tawny Newsome, one of the voice stars of Star Trek: Lower Decks, are in development on a new live-action Star Trek series for Paramount+.
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The announcement was made Saturday during the Star Trek Universe panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con by Simien, who was moderating, and Newsome, who was on stage.
The new series is intended to be an action comedy that, according to Paramount, centers on Federation outsiders who are serving on a gleaming resort planet. Not only that, their day-to-day exploits are being broadcast to the entire quadrant.
Sources have said the show may have workplace comedy tones of The Office or Parks and Recreation.
Simien said watching The Next Generation was a major influence on his writing in his formative years. “Dear White People could not exist with out Next Generation,” he said, adding that the 1980s series taught him about ensembles and having various points of view for characters.
Kurtzman said that Newsome became a writer on the upcoming Starfleet Academy series and impressed him so much that he was into the show the two were pitching. “She is a stone cold assassin of a writer,” he said.
Simien, Newsome and Trek franchise czar Alex Kurtzman will write and executive produce the series. Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Kyle Laursen are also exec producing. CBS Studios is producing the show.
The show, if it goes to series, would join a line-up of live-action and animated series that includes Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks and the upcoming Starfleet Academy.
Simien gained attention for his racial satire Dear White People, which proved to be a hit on the festival circuit. The feature was later adapted into a television series that lasted four years on Netflix. He also wrote and directed the 2020 horror comedy Bad Hair as well as 2023’s Haunted Mansion.
Newsome is an actor-comedian who appeared on IFC comedy Brockmire as well as Netflix’s high-profile but short-lived Space Force comedy. On Lower Decks, she voices ensign Beckett Mariner, one of the lead characters.
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