A day after its Season 3 premiere, CBS All Access announced it has renewed Star Trek: Discovery, starring the 46-year-old Puerto Rica actor, for a fourth season.
Production is set to begin on November 2.
In a video clip, stars Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones and executive producers/co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise share the news as they prepare to head back to work amid strict COVID-19 protocols.
In Season 3, after following Commander Burnham (Martin-Green) into the wormhole in the second-season finale, the 13-episode third season finds the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery landing in an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must work together to restore hope to the Federation.
Cruz, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman and David Ajala also star in the Emmy-winning sci-fi drama series.
Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on CBS All Access, which will rebrand as Paramount+ next year.
The series is distributed by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group on Netflix in 188 countries and in Canada on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and OTT service Crave.
Wilson Cruz will be beaming down to this year’s New York Comic-Com.
The 46-year-old Puerto Rican actor and his Star Trek: Discovery cast mates will be taking part in a special panel discussion at thevirtual confab, which will take place on October 8-11.
This year’s New York Comic-Con will be available to watch on YouTube and FindtheMetaverse.com.
The Star Trek: Discovery panel will kick off opening day of the NYCC and will feature Cruz and some cast members and producers from the series.
This year’s New York Comin-Con will include suprise guests, news and exclusive inside looks at the shows.
Here are the details on the panels:
Thursday, October 8 at 12PM ET/9AM, PT
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Join the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mike McMahan, and series voice cast for a special edition of CBS All Access’ official Star Trek after-show, The Ready Room, as they dive into the season one finale with host Wil Wheaton. Voice cast appearing include Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Fred Tatasciore and Gillian Vigman.
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY
Be the first to learn the latest about Star: Trek Discovery before season three premieres on October 15. Join series stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman and Cruz; new cast members David Ajala, Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander; and series co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise, for an exclusive conversation on what’s in store for the U.S.S. Discovery crew. Moderated by Sarah Rodman of Entertainment Weekly.
Friday, October 9 at 12:40PM ET/9:40AM PT
THE STAND
Exclusive Q&A with Cast + Inside Look
Based on Stephen King’s iconic post-apocalyptic novel of the same name, the much-anticipated limited event series asks the question “where will you stand?” in the ultimate fight between good and evil. Join series stars Whoopi Goldberg, James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Odessa Young and Owen Teague alongside showrunner Benjamin Cavell and executive producer Taylor Elmore, as they discuss bringing this epic story to life and what fans can expect when the series premieres December 17. Moderated by Anthony Breznican of VanityFair.
The remarkable personal and professional partnership between the late Cuban actor, musician, bandleader, comedian and film/television producer and his comedian wife Lucille Ball will be highlighted in the documentary feature Lucy & Desi.
Amy Poehler will make her documentary feature directing debut for the Imagine Documentaries and White Horse Pictures project.
It’s the biggest documentary to be fully financed by Imagine Documentaries and the film will benefit from the full cooperation and support of the Ball & Arnaz estate and their family.
Mark Monroe will serve as a writer on the porject.
The film will tell the story of Ball, the groundbreaking comedian who changed the landscape, and possibilities for what funny, ambitious women might achieve in Hollywood.
Research is getting underway on the film, but the estate has supplied previously unseen archival film still photos and writings that will be a guidepost to Lucy’s trailblazing journey as a performer and a smart businesswoman, whose decision to use Desi Lu’s clout to back Gene Roddenberry’s vision is the only reason Star Trek made it on the air and stayed there. He said their insistence on quality production values not possible in early days of television led them to stumble into what is still the format for syndicated television that exists today.
“I am so excited to work with Imagine Docs to help present the incredible life and work
of the brave and hilarious Lucille Ball, and her husband Desi,” said Poehler.
Said Imagine Documentaries president Wilkes: “As television’s long-reigning ‘First Family’, Lucy and Desi blazed a revolutionary trail through the cultural landscape that laid the groundwork for so much of the entertainment industry as we now know it. They created so many television firsts – not only in their portrayal of a multi-ethnic marriage or Lucy’s on-air pregnancy but as the first woman to head a studio and the creators of television syndication. It’s such an incredibly rich, inspiring and entertaining story and we’re honored to bring it to the screen.”
Ball’s childhood was defined by financial and emotional hardship but she was determined to pursue a career in show business. She met future husband Arnaz on the set of the 1940 musical Too Many Girls and in 1951 they used their own money to produce and film the pilot for I Love Lucy, which was then bought by CBS.
During the height of I Love Lucy, two-thirds of the nation tuned in to watch Ball and her husband Arnaz every Monday night. The show was known not only for its broadened view of what comedy could be, but also for tackling subjects many deemed too risqué for broadcast – the most prominent being the marriage of a multi-ethnic couple, and Ball’s real life pregnancy.
Ball’s pregnancy became a story arc in the series, and when Ball went into labor on the show, which aired the same day she gave birth in real life to her second child, Desi Jr, it drew 44 million viewers, 15 million more than President Eisenhower’s inaugural speech from earlier in the day.
The third season of Star Trek: Discovery, starring the 46-year-old Puerto Rican actor and activist, will be available on CBS All Access in October.
New episodes from the 13-episode third season will be available on the streamer weekly on Thursdays starting on October 15.
The premiere date for season 3 was unveiled with a video of Commander Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) planting a tattered Federation flag on a desolate planet — which seems to be picking up right where season 2 left off.
If you remember from the season finale, Burnham traveled into a wormhole. Season 3 of Star Trek:Discovery finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew landing into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must work together to restore hope to the Federation.
In addition to Cruz, who portrays Dr. Hugh Culber and Martin-Green, the cast for the third season of Star Trek: Discoveryincludes Doug Jones (Commander Saru), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Commander Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Ensign Sylvia Tilly), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker) and Michelle Yeoh (Philippa Georgiou).
Star Trek: Discovery s is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.
The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is set to star in writer-director Jasmine McGlade’s drama Fencer, which
HanWay Films will sell at the European Film Market (EFM).
Set in the competitive world of fencing, Saldana is attached to play Mae, an ambitious female athlete facing personal demons and childhood rivals as she vies for a spot on the U.S. Olympicteam.
The film is inspired by McGlade’s own experiences as a national champion fencer. McGlade capped her tenure at Harvardby leading her team to the school’s first-ever NCAA Championshiptitle.
Casey Affleck is producing with Whitaker Lader.
Imagine Entertainmentwill executive produce. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Financeare co-repping the U.S.
McGlade commented, “As a writer and filmmaker I seek to tell brazen, character-driven stories about people who are flawed, and thus real. Especially women. Characters who are their own worst enemies and yet incredibly resilient. Fencer is a celebration of perseverance and sacrifice, while also a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting one’s sense of worth and security solely through achievement and external validation. Fencer will provide one of the screen’s first realistic glimpses into the thrilling world of fencing, much more demanding and diverse than stereotypes may suggest, and an intimate and intense look into the minds and lives of female athletes. It is a dream come true to get to work with Zoe on Fencer, and to marry my two greatest passions: filmmaking and fencing.”
Saldana’s credits include the Star Trek franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Avatar and its upcoming sequels, and Colombiana.
Santiago Cabrerawill be spending more time in space…
CBS All Access has officially renewed Star Trek: Picard, starring the 41-year-old Chilean actor, for a second season.
The announcement comes after the series received millions in tax credits from the state of California last month.
“The energy and excitement around the premiere of Star Trek: Picard has reached a magnitude greater than all of us at CBS All Access could have hoped for,” proclaimed Julie McNamara. “We’re thrilled to announce plans for a second season before the series’ debut, and we are confident thatStar Trek fans and new viewers alike will be captured by the stellar cast and creative team’s meticulously crafted story when it premieres on January. 23,” the ViacomCBS owned streamer’s EVP, Original Content added.
While the Picard renewal is now official, there is no official word yet when Season 2 will premiere and how many episodes it will be. But the belief is that the Alex Kurtzman series is looking at a late 2020 or early 2021 lift-off with 10-episodes, similar to the soon-to-launch first season.
The much-anticipated Picard sees Patrick Stewart reprise his Star Fleet role for the first time since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis movie. The series also stars Next Gen vets Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Del Arco, Michelle Hurd, Isa Briones, Alison Pill, Harry Treadawayand Evan Evagora.
The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will star in Sabaya, a fact-based thriller that Reed Morano will direct based on a William Monahan script about the unlikely circumstances that made possible a 2015 U.S. Special Forces raid that killed a top ISIS leader and started the downfall of the radical Islamic State.
Saldana will play a female CIAofficer who befriended a recently escaped ISIS sex slave, or “sabaya.” The 15-year-old Yazidi girl can neither read nor write, but as she works with the teen to piece together her harrowing odyssey out of Syria, the CIA officer finds that the abused girl has pinpointed the nerve center of the Caliphate. The subsequent dramatic raid on the site of the young woman’s captivity results in the capture of intelligence that would spell the end of the Islamic State.
The story comes from Spycraft Entertainment, a production company headed by Grant Verstandig and former CIA officers John Sipherand Jerry O’Shea, who work with retired members of the intelligence community to create and develop content based on their true stories.
“It is an honor to be a part of the telling of this story,” said Saldana. “This young woman’s journey is one for the books, and I am beyond grateful we will get to immortalize it on the silver screen.”
Morano has called Sabaya “a larger than life epic but it’s also an intimate, raw portrait of a young girl’s determination and the bond that forms between these two women. I’ve not seen such a mind-blowing adventure that is simultaneously so emotionally transcendent, from these perspectives before. I’m thrilled to be telling this powerful story with the incredible Bill and Zoe.”
Monahan called Sabaya “the best material for an emotionally powerful theatrical war film that I have seen in ages and I don’t say that lightly. It’s a story of doing the right thing against desperate odds, and if you think about it, no film that’s any good is about anything else whatsoever. Sabaya is what the big screen is for, and this dream team we’ve got is all out for [it].”
Saldana’s previous credits include the Guardians of the Galaxy/the Avengers franchise films, the Avatar franchise, and the Star Trek franchise films.
The 40-year-old Chilean-Venezuelan actor and Salvation star is reuniting with Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout and CBS Studios for a co-starring role opposite Patrick Stewart in CBS All Access’ upcoming Star Trek series that will explore the next chapter of Jean-Luc Picard.
Michelle Hurd also will co-star in the series, produced by CBS Television Studiosin association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.
The new untitled Star Trek series features Stewart reprising his iconic role as Picard, which he played for seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation, as he takes on a new adventure.
No details are being revealed about the characters Cabrera and Hurd are playing, but Cabrera is rumored to be playing the pilot of Picard’s ship and a skillful thief. Hurd is said to be playing a former intelligence officer who is a brilliant analyst with a terrific memory that has not been affected by her drug and alcohol abuse.
Cabrera was one of the most sought actors for pilots this season who instead opted to do the Star Trek series. He starred for two seasons on the CBSsummer thriller drama series Salvation, from Secret Hideout and CBS Studios. He also recurred on HBO’s Big Little Lies and played Aramis in the BBCseriesThe Musketeers. In features, Cabrera recently was seen in Transformers: The Last Knight.
Hanelle Culpepperwill direct the first two episodes of the series, making her the first woman to direct a pilot or debut episode of a Starfleet series in the franchise’s 53-year history.
The show will air exclusively on CBS All Access in the United States and will be distributed concurrently internationally by CBS Studios International.
Roberto Orci is helping bring the popular arcade game Galaga to the small scree…
The 45-year-old Mexican film and television screenwriter and producerand Emmy-winning animation studio ShadowMachine have joined the effort by digital studio The Nuttery Entertainment to bring to life the animated sci-fi saga Galaga Chronicles, a story based on Bandai Namco’s classic arcade game.
The Nuttery announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The animated re-imagining of the iconic game is planned for a 12-episode inaugural season. The series is being shopped for distribution but anticipates a late 2019/early 2020 premiere.
Long before the days of Call of Dutyand Mario Kart, Galaga, was the arcade video game to play. In the retro video game similar to Space Invaders, the player controlled a starfighter and the objective was to destroy insect-like alien creatures to rack up as many points as possible.
Orci will work with The Nuttery to shape the vast and sprawling Galaga Chronicles universe and also will serve as an executive producer. Known for the films Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trekand creator of the television shows Sleepy Hollowand Scorpion, Orci also will serve as an executive producer.
“Galaga is one of the games I played growing up,” Orci said. “I have fond memories of the quarters and hours upon hours I spent playing the game. I look forward to working with The Nuttery and to capture that magic in an exciting new format.”
ShadowMachine, producer of television shows BoJack Horseman, Robot Chicken and Final Space, will be the animation production company. “This is by far one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever read or been a part of. It is an absolute playground for animation.” ShadowMachine founder and CEO Alexander Bulkley said.
“We couldn’t be more stoked to have this level of creativity and craftsmanship on board our space adventure,” said Magnus Jansson, CEO of The Nuttery. “Roberto’s incredible sense of story and science fiction mastery and ShadowMachine’s excellent animation and design chops have already elevated the project to the next level. I think we are sitting on an amazing origin story for Galaga that will not disappoint.”
The 43-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star on the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery.
The series takes place 10 years before Captain Kirk’s Star Trek, and the two series will connect aesthetically, according to the show’s executive producer Alex Kurtzman.
Cruz will play Dr. Hugh Culber, the better half of Anthony Rapp’s Lt. Stamets, the first openly gay Star Trek character on television.
“I’m very proud of that and that he’s a scientist,” said Rapp.” I can announce that Wilson Cruz will play my love interest and my partner in the series.”
The 15-episode Star Trek: Discovery will premiere Sunday, September 24, with a special broadcast premiere on CBS.
The first and second episodes will be available on CBS All Access immediately after the broadcast premiere, with subsequent new episodes released Sundays on All Access.
Cruz, best known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life, previously appeared on Ally McBeal, Sister, Sister, Grey’s Anatomy and Mistresses.
