Holly Hunter has boarded “Starfleet Academy.”
“The Piano” actress will star in Paramount+’s upcoming “Star Trek” spin-off series, titled “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” as the school’s captain and chancellor. The new show, which is produced by CBS Studios, is set to begin production later this summer.
As the leader of the school, Hunter’s chancellor will guide a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy and unite under a common dream of hope and optimism.
The official logline is as follows: “Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.”
Best known for her performance in “The Piano,” which earned her an Oscar for Best Actress, Hunter has also starred in “Broadcast News,” “The Firm,” “Thirteen,” “Raising Arizona,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Crash,” “Always,” “A Life Less Ordinary” and “The Big Sick,” among others. Her TV credits include “Top of the Lake,” “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom,” “Roe vs. Wade,” “Saving Grace” and “Succession.”
“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” coshowrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau said in a joint statement. “To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor and across-the-board brilliance leading the charge on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of ‘Star Trek.’”
Kurtzman and Landau serve as executive producers for “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” alongside Gaia Violo, who also wrote the premiere episode, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. Produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, the series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
“Starfleet Academy” joins Paramount+’s existing slate of “Star Trek” franchise projects, which include “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and “Star Trek: Section 31.”
Hunter is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Ziffren Brittenham.
