Patrick Stewart will reprise his legendary role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the 1980s TV show, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Alex Kurtzman, the director of the 2009 and 2013 Star Trek films, announced the news today at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, alongside unannounced guest, Stewart. The series is about “the next chapter in Picard’s life,” according to the Star Trek twitter account.
Stewart also tweeted about the announcement, saying, ”It is…an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Seeking out new life for him, when I thought that life was over.”
He last played Picard in Star Trek: Nemesis, a disappointment to fans and critics, or “the film that killed a franchise,” in the words of io9. The show will take place 20 years after Nemesis and be aired through the subscription service CBS All Access, one of several Star Trek expanded universe projects in the works from the network.