5-10 Year Plan of Star Trek Was Pitched to CBS by Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman shares he's pitched CBS his plan for the Star Trek universe that will last for five to ten years. The cancelation of Star Trek 4 was a massive let down for countless Trekkies all over the world. But while it could take a little while before the franchise makes its way way back on the big screen, it is thriving on the small screen with Star Trek: Discoveryopening up narrative opportunities that the network is now seizing.
There is a string of new offerings on the way for the franchise. That's including the upcoming Star Trek: Picard which will see Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as the iconic Jean-Luc Picard. Meanwhile, an animated comedy series, as well as an animated Nickelodeon series and the previously announced Section 31 spinoff starring Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou are all in the pipeline. But it turns out, there's still more to come with Kurtzman having a blueprint for at least the next half decade.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowKurtzman sat down withDeadline's Crew Call podcast (via Trek Core) and shared his vision for the Star Trek franchise moving forward. Acknowledging that while it has an extremely passionate and loyal fanbase, they have yet to fully capitalize on the opportunity of making it accessible for all. With that in mind, the producer went up to CBS and presented them a blueprint on how they can handle the IP in the next several years to expand its following.
The producer and Discovery co-creator cited Star Wars as a point of comparison with what he wants to achieve with Star Trek. Being also a fan of the franchise set in the galaxy far, far away, Kurtzman hopes to entice younger audiences by giving them a sense of wonder, the same way A New Hope did for him. And given what they're currently doing, he's optimistic that they can achieve this goal since there's steady increase in their younger fan base.
While Kurtzman didn't get into details about his plans, the upcoming projects for the Star Trek franchise lines up with his mindset in handling this universe for the next decade. Like Star Wars, they're delving into animated series that can bring in a younger audience. Depending on the kind of stories that they tackle with these shows, it is a great entry point for new potential fans, regardless of age. At the same time, they're also offering something familiar for long-time followers in Picard. Kurtzman didn't say what CBS' reaction was when he came up top them, but considering that TV Studios president David Stapf revealed last year that they're aiming to have a Star Trek TV show airing all year long on CBS Access, bolstered by the positive reception Discovery is getting, chances are that if everything goes to plan, Kurtzman can execute his plan.
Source: Deadline's Crew Call podcast (via Trek Core)
Source: screenrant.com