'Star Trek': Bryan Fuller Named Showrunner of New CBS Series

Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller has found his next mission: showrunner and co-creator of CBS’ new Star Trek series.

A longtime fan of science fiction, Fuller began his career writing for 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,” 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.”

The new series is set to bow on CBS in January 2017, then move to CBS’ All Access digital subscription service. It will be the first original series to launch on a broadcast network but air primarily on an SVOD service.

See More: New ‘Star Trek’ Series to Air on CBS All Access in 2017

“Bringing Star Trek back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan’s devoted care,” said executive producer Alex 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 creative plan is for the series to introduce new characters and civilizations, existing outside of the mythology charted by previous series and the current movie franchises.

Star Trek will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout banner. Kurtzman, Fuller and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers.

“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.”

The latest iteration of Star Trek on TV is set to launch on the heels of the 50th anniversary of the original series premiere on Sept. 8, 1966, which was led by stars William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. Created by Gene Roddenberry and produced by Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions, Star Trek ran for three seasons on NBC but famously became far more popular in syndicated reruns than it ever was in its original primetime run.

Alongside Michael Green, Fuller also serves as executive producer, writer and showrunner on Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved novel “American Gods,” which will begin production in Toronto this April.

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