‘Wrath Of Khan’ Director Nicholas Meyer Returns To ‘Star Trek’ With Fan Approval
Writer and director Nicholas Meyer returns to Star Trek to work alongside showrunner Bryan Fuller on the new TV series produced by CBS Television Studios. In an official statement released Friday, it was announced that Meyer, 70 years old, has been brought on as a consulting producer and writer. The news is music to fans’ ears as he’s widely regarded as the force behind revitalizing the franchise.
While Star Trek: The Motion Picture did fairly well, it didn’t exactly excite fans for more. According to Coming Soon, Meyer is said to have reinvented Star Trek with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982. Meyer directed the film and is listed as an uncredited writer.
The Wrath of Khan is considered by many to be the best Star Trek feature film as well as one of the best science-fiction movies of all time. Not only do fans love the movie, but they also give credit to Nicholas Meyer for saving the franchise with his work.
New #StarTrek Series Beams Up Veteran Series Writer Nicholas Meyer – https://t.co/RlY6xSaGLh pic.twitter.com/q2LcXDdByi
— We Got This Covered (@wgtc_site) February 27, 2016
Meyer also co-wrote Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and co-wrote and directed Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Fans were thrilled earlier this month when Bryan Fuller was chosen to serve as co-creator and co-executive producer. He also brings prior experience with Star Trek to the table as a former scriptwriter for Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Fuller is best known for creating the series Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, and Wonderfalls.
Bryan Fuller himself seems to be as enthusiastic as the fans about working with Nicholas Meyer. He took to Twitter to share the news of Meyer’s return to Star Trek.
#StarTrek pic.twitter.com/twPaW2qKzN
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) February 26, 2016
Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will also be executive producers along with Fuller. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the 2009 film Star Trek, and co-wrote its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams and take place in an alternate timeline.
Nicholas Meyer has a love for the franchise and sees it as more than just a TV show or movie. Meyer believes the franchise is instrumental in opening up the audience’s eyes to examine the world around them with a fresh perspective.
“At its best, Star Trek appears to function as pop metaphor, taking current events and issues – ecology, war, and racism, for example – and objectifying them for us to contemplate in a science fiction setting… Like the best science fiction, Star Trek does not show us other worlds so meaningfully as it shows us our own – for better or for worse, in sickness and health. In truth, Star Trek doesn’t even pretend to show us other worlds, only humanity refracted in what is supposed to be a high-tech mirror.”
Rick Berman, who is the executive producer of four Star Trek series and four of the films, tweeted his approval of hiring Meyer, writing, “They couldn’t have made a better selection for the new Trek series than Nicholas Meyer. He’s a brilliant writer/director and an amazing guy.”
Nicholas Meyer has also directed the films Time After Time and The Day After as well as authored a best-seller, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.
#WrathOfKhan director Nicholas Meyer has joined @BryanFuller‘s #StarTrek series: https://t.co/7uLmYbdKfL pic.twitter.com/xxIJczyzwf
— Nerdist (@nerdist) February 26, 2016
According to Screen Crush, the upcoming Star Trek TV series will not be related in any way to Star Trek Beyond, which is set to be released by Paramount Pictures in July 2016. Instead, the TV series will focus on new characters, as laid out in the initial synopsis.
“The brand-new ‘Star Trek’ will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.”
Star Trek will debut on CBS in January 2017 before moving to CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. It is the first original series developed for CBS All Access. The premiere episode and all first-run episodes will be available in the U.S. on CBS All Access and will also be available around the world on various platforms by CBS Studios International.
Are you excited to see Nicholas Meyer return to Star Trek?
[Image via Twitter]
