William Shatner has signed on to host Fox’s upcoming reality competition show, “Stars on Mars.” The show, which airs on Fox this summer, will put celebrities to the test as they are “faced with authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars,” Fox announced Wednesday.
“Good news for our celebronauts from Mission Control,” Shatner joked in the release. “Thanks to lower gravity on Mars, you’ll weigh 62% less. Bad news: the air is unbreathable, so if you’re from LA, it’ll remind you of home.”
The 92-year-old icon is no stranger to the final frontier, having played Captain James T. Kirk on “Star Trek,” both on TV and in film. Shatner will serve as “Mission Control” on the series, and “will deliver intergalactic tasks to these shining stars throughout their journey on the red planet.”
“The moment I heard the pitch for Stars on Mars, I knew a show this bold, this big and this outlandish simply belonged on FOX,” Allison Wallach, President of Unscripted Programming, FOX Entertainment, said in the release. “Watching celebrities take giant leaps out of their comfort zone and step into the unexpected will no doubt be truly transformational and comical. Throughout, we will learn a lot about these stars, and when you factor in William Shatner leading the charge from Mission Control, we have the makings of a show that’s ready for blast off.”
More from the release:
“The celebrities will compete in missions and will vote to eliminate one of their crewmates each week, sending them back to Earth. Cue the intergalactic alliances and rivalries. ‘Stars on Mars’ will send these famous rookie space travelers where no one has gone before and reveal who has what it takes to survive life on ‘Mars.’”
Stars on Mars airs Monday, June 5 at 8 PM ET on Fox.