Bryan Fuller Will No Longer Be the Showrunner of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY
Bryan Fuller, who had a heavy hand in developing the upcoming CBS series Star Trek: Discovery is stepping out of the role of showrunner. Those showrunner duties are now set to go to executive producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts.
According to Variety, there are a couple of reasons that Fuller is stepping back. He has apparently just become so busy working on two other TV series — American Gods and Amazing Stories — and CBS didn’t want to delay Discovery any longer. The report also says there had “been some strain between Star Trek producer CBS Television Studios.”
Fuller has written the first two scripts for Discovery and has come up with the story arc and mythology for the new Trek realm. Discovery is gearing up to start shooting next month, and it will still follow his vision for the series. Fuller will stay on as an executive producer and will continue to be involved with shaping the show and coming up with stories. Academy Award-winning writer Akiva Goldsman is also expected to join the series in a top creative role to help out. CBS had this to say in a statement:
“We are extremely happy with the creative direction of Star Trek: Discovery and the strong foundation that Bryan Fuller has helped us create for the series. Due to Bryan’s other projects, he is no longer able to oversee the day-to-day of Star Trek, but he remains an executive producer, and will continue to map out the story arc for the entire season… Bryan is a brilliant creative talent and passionate Star Trek fan, who has helped us chart an exciting course for the series. We are all committed to seeing this vision through and look forward to premiering Star Trek: Discovery this coming May 2017.”
The new series is said to take place before the original Star Trek series, and it will feature a female protagonist who isn't a Captain and include an openly gay character. Fuller also previously revealed that the main female character will be referred to as “Number One.” For more information on the series click here.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this series turns out. I just wish it wasn’t a part of this silly CBS All Access streaming service that fans will have to pay for. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s worth it.