Entering the Star Trek world through Star Trek Discovery, Hanelle Culpepper helped present the Mirror Universe in Vaulting Ambition and helmed one of the upcoming episodes of Season 2. Now she’s jumping ahead to a new mission as Culpepper takes the reigns of the pilot episode of the new Picard-centric series.
Following the life of Picard long after the Enterprise, the untitled show will revive Patrick Stewarts iconic character twenty years after the events of Nemesis as he deals with the fallout of the Hobus Star incident mentioned in the 2009 Star Trek feature film.
Helping to shape the new role Picard will find himself in, Culpepper will help set the tone in the pilot episode, bringing her experience from stunning shows with at Starz series Counterpart, AMC’s NOS4A2 with Star Trek star Zachary Quinto and multiple other shows including the popular Criminal Minds, Batman prequel Gotham and the ward winning American Crime.
“Hanelle is a gifted and dynamic filmmaker whose directorial choices are always deeply rooted in character.” Star Trek Producer Alex Kurztman said of Culpepper in CBS’s initial announcement, “I’ve been a huge fan of her work since she started with us on Discovery, and she’s the perfect person to re-introduce the beloved character of Picard to longtime fans and new viewers alike. We’re thrilled she’s joining our Trek family on this next adventure.”
Culpepper will have the unique honour of being the first woman to direct a debut episode of any Star Trek series, giving her addition to the Picard show a welcome record in the history books.
The untitled Picard Series will begin filming in California this April with casting and pre-production underway. The series will continue filming while Discovery’s third season begins shooting in Toronto from July.
As always we’ll continue delving into the new continuing mission through Comms, with the latest issue featuring a look and analysis of what could be for each rumoured and confirmed series of Trek. To find out more about Comms and how to read the full issue, visit our Comms Preview or join the conversation on the new era of Trek with the fleet and Enlist Today!
