Sci Fi TV News: Weekly digest of the recent news and updates relating to sci fi and fantasy television.
Rumors continue to fly that Alex Kurtzman may be out as the person in charge of the Star Trek franchise, and the Tachyon Pulse Podcast has sources that seem to confirm this. In addition, as mentioned last week, Michael Sussman had a meeting with Paramount+ execs apparently about the Star Trek: United series which would be a continuation from Enterprise. There are also suggestions that Kurtzman may not be done with Trek yet, but that Paramount+ wants to renegotiate his deal and possibly offer him less money. In any case, it does appear that changes are on the way and that Nu Trek could be taking a different direction.
The long-running Red Dwarf TV series has been on pause since 2020, and it is unclear if we can expect any additional episodes from that one. But a new story is on the way in print as the novel Red Dwarf: Titan is set to hit the shelves in July of this year. Written by series co-creator Rob Grant along with Andrew Marshall, it acts as a prequel to the TV show. Following is the description of the book:
The mining ship Red Dwarf is in orbit around Saturnian moon Titan, and the bulk of the crew is heading down for their shore leave plans: A strangely reluctant hen party; a relaxing cheaty golfing break; a terminally-boring cultural Odessey; a marathon drinking and fighting binge; a stomach-challenging culinary beanfeast and an invigoratingly violent tour of Shore Patrol…
Menial chicken soup machine repairmen Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer have slightly less noble ambitions. Rimmer is in search of some illicit exam-cheating tech to land a much-lusted-for promotion, and Lister plans to acquire a cat to smuggle back on board as part of a nefarious scheme to return to Earth. Mainly, they just want to get as far away from each other as possible. However, their objectives are scuppered when they receive a cryptic message… from the future. The two feuding crewmen are catapulted into a breakneck race to save not only this, but every other Reality.
You can pre-order the book at this link.
A new Anime series in the Evangelion franchise is in the works at Studio Khara and CloverWorks. Not many details are available on the production at this point, but Kazuya Tsurumaki (Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX) and Toko Yatabe (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time) will be helming the project, and Yoko Taro (NieR) will be writing it. Stay tuned for more details on this one.
In casting news, Mckenna Grace (The Handmaid’s Tale) will be joining the Netflix live-action Scooby Doo Origins series in the role of a young Daphne Blake. That show has just kicked off production and will likely be looking at a 2027 premiere. Cult legend John Waters will be joining the cast of the upcoming 13th season of American Horror Story, though there is no word on what role he will play at this point. Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has cast Ming-Na Wen (Agents of SHIELD), Jennifer Beals (The Book of Boba Fett), and Hubert Smielecki as the Greek Gods Hera, Demeter and Apollo respectively. And Wynonna Ryder will be re-teaming with Tim Burton as she has joined the cast of Netflix’s Wednesday which Burton executive produces. This is no word on what role she will play at this point.
In scheduling news, HBO’s House of the Dragon has received a premiere window of June for its third season. You can see the teaser for that below.
Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.
Sci Fi TV Premieres:
Paradise (Hulu): An outside world is exposed in the aftermath of season 1, while inside the bunker a new regime emerges! Xavier begins the search for his wife, Teri, outside the bunker forging new alliances and encountering potential threats. The first three eps of Season 2 will be available on Monday.
Also premiering this week is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 and the original film In the Blink of an Eye. You can see the full schedule at this link.
