BACK TO THE STARS
Stewart to reprise ‘Next Generation’ role in new Trek series
He’s going where no one has gone before... again.
Patrick Stewart will be reprising his famed role as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Captain Jean Luc Picard in a new series, the actor announced Saturday.
Stewart, 78, made the announcement during a surprise visit to a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, where several of his former “Next Generation” co-stars were greeting fans and signing autographs.
The still untitled show, which will be appear on CBS All Access, will continue the adventures of the starship Enterprise captain 20 years after “Star Trek: Nemesis,” the last film the character appeared in.
There have been rumors of Stewart returning as Picard since June, when CBS All Access began promoting a Star Trek universe expansion on the streaming site, which airs episodes of “Star Trek: Discovery.”
“It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him,” Stewart said on Twitter Saturday.
“I look forward to working with our brilliant creative team as we endeavor to bring a fresh, unexpected and pertinent story to life once more.”
The new show will be overseen by Alex Kurtzman, creator and executive producer of “Star Trek: Discovery” which is now in its second season.
Stewart’s show would be the third “Star Trek” series on CBS All Access. Besides “Discovery,” an upcoming limited series called “Star Trek: Short Treks” is in the works, according to Variety.
Besides playing Cpt. Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series between 1987 and 1994 and four feature films, the British-born actor has also played Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” movie franchise.