After his stints on Pushing Daisies and Hannibal, Bryan Fuller was recognized as one of the “visionary” showrunners in Hollywood, and given the opportunity to bring Star Trek back to TV with the launch of Star Trek: Discovery next year. But apparently, there has been a shake up behind the scenes, and Fuller is out as the showrunner. However, CBS All Access has acknowledged the move and indicated that Fuller will remain with the series as an executive producer.
Variety was the first to break this story, and it’s report offer several reasons why Fuller and CBS All Access were reportedly at odds over the production of Discovery. “Sources emphasized that CBS execs have been happy with the material that Fuller has developed to date but became increasingly concerned that he had too much on his plate and there was no willingness to delay the premiere date once more.” The report added that “there’s also some internal stress at the studio that the lead character, described by Fuller as a female lieutenant commander, has yet to be cast.”
Related: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Pushed Back To Spring 2017
Fuller has responded to the news by congratulating two of the new Star Trek: Discovery showrunners: Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts.
Riker spent 7 years of TNG unready for Captaincy, @GretchenJBerg @AaronHarberts are ready. Thrilled to see them in command of the Bridge.
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) October 27, 2016
Berg and Harberts will share showrunner responsibilities with Alex Kurtzman, one of the screenwriters and producers of the Star Trek reboot film series. Kurtzman also co-created Fringe, an excellent sci-fi series that ran for five seasons on Fox.
If the initial report is accurate, Fuller’s scripts and his characters will still be utilized in the series. Technically, he hasn’t even left the show. But given that Fuller is co-showrunning American Gods and executive producing the revival of Amazing Stories for NBC, it remains to be seen just how much time he will be able to devote to Discovery.
At the moment, Star Trek: Discovery is still slated for a May 2017 debut on CBS, before it moves to CBS All Access.
What’s your take on this situation? Set phasers on stun, and share your thoughts below!
