Are you ready for the best news? Word came down today that CBS has indeed chosen its showrunner for their impossibly anticipated newStar TrekTV series, which will premiere on the network but run regularly on CBS All Access, their digital platform. The name of the man isBryan Fuller, and for dedicated fans of television, this is both a hugely promising announcement and a deeply perplexing one.
Fuller began his career writing forStar Trek:Deep Space NineandStar Trek: Voyagerbut made his name as a showrunner on cult favorites likeDead Like Me,Pushing Daisies, and, most importantly,Hannibal, one of the most provocative, progressive, and aesthetically daring television shows to ever see release. This all makes him a rather fitting for taking on the newStar Trekseries, and making it as influential and thrilling asStar Trek: The Next Generationand the original run, but then there’s the matter ofAmerican Gods, the adaptation ofNeil Gaiman’s beloved fantasy novel that he is spearheading. He’s also involved with the revamping ofSteven Spielberg’s anthology seriesAmazing Stories.
In all likelihood, Fuller will cherrypick some close collaborators to look over these series when he’s tending to other shows, but his artistic vision is what these shows will need and exactly what they will get ultimately. Commenting on the news, Fuller had this to say:
“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…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 announcement of Fuller being hired also garnered comments by executive producerAlex Kurtzman, who worked on the latestStar Trekmovies with longtime collaboratorJ.J. Abrams. Here’s what he had to say:
“Bringing ‘Star Trek’ back to television means returning it to its roots, and for years those roots flourished under Bryan’s devoted care…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.”
Finally, the president of CBS Television,David Stapf, added his two cents:
“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…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.”
