Kurtzman Inks 5-Year Trek Extension

Alex Kurtzman, veteran writer-producer and co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery, has inked a five-year extension of his production agreement with CBS Television Studios that calls for him to extend the Star Trek franchise for television, developing new series, mini-series and other content opportunities, including animation, as well as give CBS Television Studios exclusive rights to produce all television content created and developed by Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout production banner.

Set to join Kurtzman as part of the deal, which goes through 2023, are fellow Discovery producers Heather Kadin and Aaron Baiers. Kadin serves as president of Secret Hideout, while Baiers is senior vice president of television. Production on season two of Star Trek: Discovery is under way now, with Kurtzman behind the camera as director of the premiere episode.

Kurtzman and Secret Hideout, in addition to growing CBS’ Star Trek universe, will develop new, original series across the full spectrum of broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. As part of this process, Secret Hideout will expand its production operation, adding diverse voices and cultivating new creative talent to align with the company.

“Heather, Aaron and I are thrilled to continue Secret Hideout’s amazing partnership with CBS Television Studios,” said Alex Kurtzman. “Since our first collaboration with Hawaii Five-0 almost a decade ago, Les, David and the full team at CBS Studios have been our foremost collaborators and champions, treating each project with integrity, supporting the creative visions and working breathlessly to make each episode of every show the best it can be. CBS has also allowed us the great pleasure of reintroducing the world of Star Trek audiences new and old, and we are very excited to keep working alongside them to expand that world.”

Kurtzman is known as one of the most prolific creators in film and television, co-creating and launching some of the most successful franchises of the past two decades including multiple films in the Star Trek, Now You See Me and Transformers series. He has also written, directed or produced such projects as Instinct, Salvation and the recently completed run of Scorpion for CBS, as well as Mission Impossible III, The Proposal, Sleepy Hollow, Alias and Fringe.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the U.K., Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 are also available on the Pluto TV Star Trek channel in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Discovery is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.