Of all the familiar pop culture mainstays currently getting reworked for TV, few are worth the kind of balls-out excitement as the new frontiers of Star Trek: Discovery heading to CBS All Access next year. One of the new series' most laudable elements was Hannibal and Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller in the captain's chair, but unfortunately, Fuller has lost his duties as showrunner on Star Trek: Discovery, and he's already been replaced.
Star Trek: Discovery isn't losing Bryan Fuller completely, which would have been cause for clinical depression, and he'll still be on-hand as an executive producer to help flesh out the story and other creative tasks. But that isn't to say that everyone involved was all smiles, as Variety reports CBS execs haven't been thrilled with the staggered state of development on the new Star Trek series, which can be blamed on Fuller having his hands full with his upcoming Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, as well as preliminary work being done on the Amazing Stories reboot.
So a new deal and schedule was quickly worked out over the past week to allow him to still work on everything he's tied to, but without having to worry about every single day-to-day issue ingrained in big-budgeted sci-fi projects. Instead, showrunner duties have been shifted over to executive producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who should be firmly in place once filming for Star Trek: Discovery finally begins next month after recent delays. (Writer/director Akiva Goldsman is also joining the show to serve as creative support.) Bryan Fuller was happy to congratulate the duo on their new job duties.
While delays and crew changes are usually indicative of a project in trouble, it really does seem like CBS got Fuller to step down solely for the greater good of everything he's working on. He's already put a ton of time and effort into breaking open a new storyline for Star Trek fans to obsess over, and it sounds like much of what he's already drafted, including a homage to one of the original Trek characters from the unaired pilot (both the character and the actress) will remain intact. It would have been crazy for CBS to go back to a clear drawing board.
So with Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts in place to live long and prosper in the showrunner spots, we will almost definitely get a rush of casting news announcements in the coming weeks. And that will likely be the first time we actually hear anything about anyone beyond just Number One. We need details!
So while things may be getting switched around on the creative side, it doesn't appear as if anything will directly hinder Star Trek: Discovery from make its big debut in May 2017 on CBS All Access. While waiting, though, check out our fall TV schedule to see what's yet to come to the small screen this year.
