Kurtzman Signs Long-Term Extension With CBS
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Producer Alex Kurtzman, who has shepherded Star Trek television through its streaming era since its inception, has signed a long-term contract extension with CBS Studios that will see him continuing to produce Star Trek as well as other television and film projects through 2026.
The deal between CBS Studios and Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout production house calls for Paramount+ and CBS to have exclusive first-look rights to any media projects developed at Secret Hideout. While terms were not disclosed, rumors have pegged the total value to be in the $160 million range, which would make Kurtzman one of the top-paid producers in Hollywood today.
“CBS Studios has been my home for over a decade because the incomparable David Stapf always finds a way to demonstrate his decency and creative passion, not just for the work we do, but for the many people who do it,” Kurtzman said in a released statement. “In David Nevins, I’ve found a rare breed executive with auteur taste and the guts to take chances, who’s encouraged us to create premium streaming and cable that pushes boundaries. And over the last year, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of being eyewitness to the steady leadership George Cheeks has brought to CBS.”
Kurtzman’s writing and production relationship with Star Trek began following the success of Mission: Impossible 3, after which Paramount Pictures approached him and then-writing partner Roberto Orci to begin developing a Star Trek feature script, which, of course, eventually became the 2009 hit Star Trek. He also co-wrote and produced Star Trek Into Darkness before stepping back to focus on other projects.
In 2015, Kurtzman was then announced to be producing Star Trek: Discovery alongside co-creator Bryan Fuller, and further Trek streaming projects emerged from that effort, including Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Prodigy, and an unnamed series revolving around Section 31. In addition, Kurtzman created the Short Treks anthology series of mini-episodes.
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