CBS has tapped David Semel to serve as a director and executive producer on the new Star Trek TV series, which is set to enter production in September in Toronto for a January 2017 premiere.
Semel, repped by WME, will direct the two-hour opening episode, which is set to air on the flagship CBS network, before the series segues to CBS All Access as the streaming service’s first exclusive original series. Netflix will air new episodes in 188 countries, including the UK, within 24 hours of the US premiere.
Very little is known about the new Star Trek series, including which era it will be set in and how it will fit into the continuity of the wider franchise. It is being shepherded by showrunner Bryan Fuller, who leads a writing team that includes Nicholas Meyer, Alex Kurtzman, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts. CBS Television Studios is producing, with Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Gretchen Berg, Aaron Harberts, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serving as the executive producers
David Semel has a good reputation in Hollywood for helming successful pilots. He has previously helmed the pilot episodes for CBS’ State Department drama Madam Secretary, NBC’s Heroes, CBS’ just picked up medical drama Pure Genius, TNT’s Sean Bean thriller Legends and the Marcia Gay Harden drama Code Black. He also recently directed the opening of David E. Kelley’s Amazon series Goliath, satrring Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt and Maria Bello.
