Alex Kurtzman is boldly staying where he’s been before: CBS Television Studios.
The co-creator and new showrunner of CBS All Access’ “Star Trek: Discovery” has signed a new overall deal to extend his agreement with CBS Television Studios through 2023. Under the five-year pact, Kurtzman will supervise the expansion of CBS’ “Star Trek” franchise, developing new series, mini-series and other content opportunities, including animation.
“There is a very short list of writer-producer-directors that every film and television studio wants to be associated with, and Alex and his Secret Hideout team are always at the top,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “His talent, taste and ability to shepherd a successful project is unparalleled. Alex has done remarkable work for our Studio, dating back seven years to the launch of ‘Hawaii Five-0,’ and we are thrilled that he, Heather and their team will be partnering with us for a long time to come.”
Kurtzman was recently named the new showrunner on “Discovery,” taking over for Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who stepped down last week.
Along with his work on CBS’ “final frontier,” the studio will have exclusive rights to produce all television content created and developed by Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout production banner, led by president Heather Kadin and senior VP of television Aaron Baiers. Kurtzman has executive produced “Hawaii Five-0,” “Scorpion” and “Instinct” for the network, along with “Discovery.”
“Heather, Aaron and I are thrilled to continue Secret Hideout’s amazing partnership with CBS Television Studios,” said Alex Kurtzman. “Since our first collaboration with ‘Hawaii Five-0’ almost a decade ago, Les, David and the full team at CBS Studios have been our foremost collaborators and champions, treating each project with integrity, supporting the creative visions and working breathlessly to make each episode of every show the best it can be. CBS has also allowed us the great pleasure of reintroducing the world of Star Trek audiences new and old, and we are very excited to keep working alongside them to expand that world.”
Production for season two of “Star Trek: Discovery” is underway, with Kurtzman directing the premiere episode.