'Star Trek: Discovery' air date, news: 'Rent' actor and 'Hellboy' star join cast; ex-showrunner Bryan Fuller clarifies involvement in series
The cast lineup for "Star Trek: Discovery" continues to expand with two more actors joining the hotly-anticipated series.
According to reports, "Hellboy" star Doug Jones and "Rent" actor Anthony Rapp have joined the cast of CBS All Access' upcoming TV reboot. Jones has been tapped to play Lt. Saru, a Starfleet Science Officer who is also an alien species to the Star Trek universe. Rapp, on the other hand, will portray Lt. Stamets, another Starfleet Science Officer in the Starship Discovery. Aside from being a fungus expert, he is also an astromycologist. The two newcomers join previously announced cast member Michelle Yeoh, who will portray Captain Georgiou, Starship Shenzhou's Starfleet Captain.
Further details about the show remain under wraps, but some sources claim that the cast will include a male lead played by an openly gay actor. A male Klingon captain, a British male doctor, a female admiral, a male adviser, and a male admiral are also reportedly part of the lineup.
Showrunner Bryan Fuller was supposed to headline "Star Trek: Discovery," but he decided to step down from his post last October. In a recent interview, Fuller made his departure from the show official by clarifying his involvement in the high-profile program.
"I'm not involved in production, or postproduction, so I can only give them the material I've given them and hope that it is helpful for them. I'm curious to see what they do with it," Fuller told Newsweek.
Fuller left the 2017 reboot to focus on Starz' adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods." Co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman will take his place, along with Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts. Fuller revealed that leaving the show was "bittersweet" because considers himself as a "Star Trek" superfan. When asked if he would be open to coming back for a second season, Fuller said CBS has his number and he will "absolutely be there for them."
"Star Trek: Discovery" premieres in May 2017 on CBS All Access.