'Star Trek: Discovery' release date, casting news: EP tackles three actors' roles; Bryan Fuller exits from the show
In a recent interview, "Star Trek: Discovery" executive producer Alex Kurtzman revealed details on the role of three cast members. Meanwhile, former showrunner Bryan Fuller shares that he is now completely hands-off from the series.
EP talks of casting Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp
Kurtzman, the show's EP, was recently interviewed by IGN where he revealed three names joining their upcoming show: Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones and Anthony Rapp.
The executive producer shared that Yeoh will play a role with "so many dimensions" and it is a perfect fit for the direction that they want the show to take.
Yeoh is going to play the role of the Starship Shenzhou captain, Captain Georgiou. Kurtzman even subtly hinted that there is a chance her role could go beyond "Star Trek: Discovery's" first season.
The executive producer then went on to detail how actor Doug Jones, who plays Lt. Saru, has been a great option for the show. Kurtzman said, "What he did in Pan's Labyrinth has embedded itself in my mind forever." Jones is known for and has gained a great reputation from playing villainous, non-human characters in his previous shows.
"What you want to do when you're creating a creature of some kind is cast an actor who has the ability to pull off the bulk of it in a practical way," Kurtzman added.
Lastly, Kurtzman discussed Anthony Rapp's role as Lt. Stamets, the science officer on board the Starship Discovery. Trek News noted that Lt. Stamets will be the "first major on-screen gay character" in the franchise's TV history.
Kurtzman commented about Rapp, saying, "It's always just about how do you find actors who are, it's always who's right for the part, but it's also there's a lovely diversity that Star Trek has always been about."
Former showrunner Bryan Fuller now hands-off from the show
Meanwhile, it was earlier revealed that Fuller would have to let go as one of "Star Trek: Discovery's" showrunners due to schedule conflicts but would still remain as one of its executive producers. It might be because he is also working on another major science fiction TV series "American Gods."
However, in a more recent interview, Fuller revealed that he has completely left "Star Trek: Discovery."
Fuller told Newsweek, "It felt like it was best for me to focus on landing the plane with American Gods and making sure that was delivered in as elegant and sophisticated a fashion as I could possibly do."
He added that to exit "Star Trek: Discovery" was "bittersweet" but "it was just a situation that couldn't be resolved otherwise...so I had to step away."
"Star Trek: Discovery" is slated to be released in May 2017 on CBS.