Bryan Fuller Named Showrunner of New CBS Star Trek Series

Bryan Fuller, creator of shows like Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, and Dead Like Me, has been named the executive producer and showrunner of CBS’ new Star Trek series. Fuller’s earliest writing jobs included stints at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, so his latest project represents a return to his roots.

“My very first experience of Star Trek is my oldest brother turning off all the lights in the house and flying his model of a D7 Class Klingon Battle Cruiser through the darkened halls,” Fuller told Deadline. “Before seeing a frame of the television series, the Star Trek universe lit my imagination on fire. It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek.”

Fuller has long wanted to create a new Star Trek series, and the CBS version is well-timed, arriving on the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s beginning. The TV version will be unrelated to the ongoing blockbuster feature films.

Fuller is currently working as executive producer of the Starz network’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and has said that this new project won’t interfere. Alex Kurtzman, another Star Trek veteran, will co-create alongside Fuller. The series is scheduled to premiere in Jan. 2017.