Bryan Fuller Is No Longer Showrunner For Star Trek: Discovery
Bryan Fuller has stepped down as showrunner of the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery series it has been announced today.
Whilst the news in unfortunate, it wasn’t due to ‘creative differences’ or any of the usual stuff, It’s simple a case of Fuller having too much on his plate right now to be able to handle the day-to-day running of the show. He will stay on as exec producer, and will still be involved in the story process.
Showrunning duties have been handed over to fellow exec producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts who will continue to follow Fuller’s ‘creative vision’ for the show. The Dark Tower & Fringe writer Akiva Goldsman is also believed to be joining the team in a new creative role as support for Berg & Harberts.
Although things seem to have been left amicably, hence Fuller’s continued involvement, there was apparently some tension between CBS and the production about the speed at which it was progressing. As we announced back in Sept, the show’s release has been pushed back from Jan to May 2017, which at the time it was said the move was to give allow more development time. It seems Fuller’s availability may also have been a factor in that decision. Not only is he currently one of the showrunners and creator on the upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for Starz, but he’s also developing an Amazing Stories revival for NBC. With Fuller trying to juggle three enormous shows like that, it’s no great surprise he’s had to pull back from one of them.
The official statement from CBS said “We are extremely happy with the creative direction of Star Trek: Discovery and the strong foundation that Bryan Fuller has helped us create for the series. Due to Bryan’s other projects, he is no longer able to oversee the day-to-day of Star Trek, but he remains an executive producer, and will continue to map out the story arc for the entire season. Alex Kurtzman, co-creator and executive producer, along with Fuller’s producing partners and longtime collaborators, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, will also continue to oversee the show with the existing writing and producing team. Bryan is a brilliant creative talent and passionate Star Trek fan, who has helped us chart an exciting course for the series. We are all committed to seeing this vision through and look forward to premiering Star Trek: Discovery this coming May 2017.”
Whilst I’m sorry to see Fuller take a back seat on the project, I think it’s the right thing to do. I would have hated to see Star Trek’s return to TV compromised due to a showrunner who didn’t have the time to dedicate to it.
Star Trek: Discovery will arrive on Netflix UK in May 2017.
