Star Trek: Discovery executive producer and newly-minted showrunner Alex Kurtzman has signed on to a five-year deal with CBS Television studios, announced the studio today, to expand Star Trek television programming into multiple potential projects.

Here’s the official word from CBS’s press office today:

Alex Kurtzman, a prolific writer-producer of film and television and co-creator of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, has extended his production agreement with CBS Television Studios through 2023. Under the agreement, CBS Television Studios will have exclusive rights to produce all television content created and developed by Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout production banner for the next five years. Heather Kadin serves as president of Kurtzman’s company, and Aaron Baiers is senior vice president of television.

As part of the new production deal, Kurtzman will supervise the expansion of CBS’ “Star Trek” franchise for television, developing new series, mini-series and other content opportunities, including animation. Under Kurtzman’s leadership, the newest addition to the franchise, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, made an impressive creative and commercial mark in its first season. DISCOVERY launched to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success in the U.S. on CBS All Access and around the world. Production for season two of DISCOVERY is under way, and Kurtzman directed the premiere episode.

In addition to growing CBS’ “Star Trek” universe, Kurtzman and Secret Hideout 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.

While CBS’s announcement doesn’t specify any particular Trek content, Entertainment Weekly’s James Hibbard reports that part of the franchise expansion could be a Patrick Stewart-led Picard-centric project — something which The Hollywood Reporter reports could be helmed by Kurtzman and recently-departed Discovery producer Akiva Goldsman.

As reported by THR: 

The new deal comes as rumblings about another Star Trek series, featuring Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, have been heating up. Sources say Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman, who left Discovery after season one, are attached to the Stewart-led reboot.

CBS TV Studios declined to confirm the Stewart project as sources say a deal is far from completed and may not happen, despite the fact that the actor recently teased his potential return to the franchise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEmkG4PgBiI

Meanwhile, Joe Otterson over at Variety has more to say about the potential Trek projects being considered by CBS, listing these possibilities from his sources:

1. A series set at Starfleet Academy from creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz. The duo most recently developed the CW’s reboot of “Dynasty” and previously created shows like “Gossip Girl” and Hulu and Marvel’s “Runaways.”

2. A limited series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.

3. A limited series based around the “Wrath of Khan” story. Khan’s full name is Khan Noonien Singh. He was famously portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán in both the original series episode “Space Seed” and again in the film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.” Benedict Cumberbatch then played the character in the 2013 film “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

4. An animated series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.

The specific call-out of potential animation projects in CBS’s announcement certainly caught our interest as well, as the world of animated Trek has been explored many times over the last several decades — such as Star Trek: Final Frontier, a proposed mid-2000s animated show — but hasn’t resulted any new content since the classic Animated Series went off the air in the mid-1970s.

Finally, a report from Nellie Andreeva over at Deadline notes that we could possibly get some news about one project at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con event in July:

There are no specifics about any of the projects at the moment though there is talk that one of the first shows would be an eight-episode limited series spinoff. Kurtzman and Co. may reveal some details at the upcoming Comic-Com convention.

Here’s Kurtzman’s official statement on today’s announcement:

Heather [Kadin], Aaron [Baiers] and I are thrilled to continue Secret Hideout’s amazing partnership with CBS Television Studios.

Since our first collaboration with ‘Hawaii Five-O’ almost a decade ago, Les [Moonves], 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.

We’ll be sure to bring you all the latest on these Star Trek franchise developments as news breaks!