According to Deadline, Pulitzer Prize winner and executive producer Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) has been tapped to become the showrunner for CBS All Access’ upcoming series Star Trek: Picard.
“Daring, lyrical, humane, whimsical, celebrated: words that describe both Jean-Luc Picard and the literary genius of Michael Chabon,” Alex Kurtzman said. “Despite a laundry list of accomplishments most writers only dream of, Michael shines with the heart and soul of a Trekkie who’s finally found his dream job. We’re so fortunate to have him at the helm as we explore this next chapter in the great captain’s life.”
“Star Trek has been an important part of my way of thinking about the world, the future, human nature, storytelling and myself since I was ten years old,” Chabon added. “I come to work every day in a state of joy and awe at having been entrusted with the character and the world of Jean-Luc Picard, with this vibrant strand of the rich, intricate and complex tapestry that is Trek.’”
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Star Trek: Picard will tell the next story of Picard’s life, taking place after Star Trek: Next Generation. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Star Trek: Discovery creator Alex Kurtzman revealed in March that it will be “a very different show from Discovery.” He also mentioned that the series will be a “very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways… Things have changed for [Picard] and changed him in some ways, and yet he is so deeply and fundamentally still Picard.”
The cast also includes Santiago Cabrera (Big Little Lies), Michelle Hurd (Blindspot), Evan Evagora (Fantasy Island), Alison Pill (The Newsroom), Harry Treadaway (Mr. Mercedes, Penny Dreadful), and Isa Briones (American Crime Story: Versace).
Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman will oversee development on the new show, which is not a Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot but rather a continuation of Picard’s story.
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Kurtzman will executive produce the new series alongside newly-appointed Star Trek: Discovery executive producer James Duff, former Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman (The Dark Tower), Michael Chabon (Spider-Man 2) and Star Trek: Voyager and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. Also executive producing are Heather Kadin of Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment President Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and Roddenberry Entertainment COO Trevor Roth.
Beginning in 1987, Patrick Stewart led the Star Trek: New Generation series for seven seasons before transitioning to movies movies with Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s pilot “Emissary.” He also portrays Dr. Charles Xavier (a.k.a. Professor X) in the X-Men franchise.
The Star Trek spinoff is scheduled to premiere at the end of 2019, exclusively on CBS All Access.
“Michael shines with the heart and soul of a Trekkie who’s finally found his dream job.” Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon has been named Showrunner of the upcoming #StarTrekPicard series. Learn more here: https://t.co/Fo9XoByjYm pic.twitter.com/R5uf1r08j4
— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) June 27, 2019
