Just a month after her historic Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh is returning to the Star Trek franchise.
The 60-year-old Malaysian actress will reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery for the new ‘original movie event’ for Paramount Plus, according to a press release.
Yeoh first starred as the fan-favorite character Georgiou in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.
The project was originally reported on back in January 2019, though it was then being developed as a TV series.
Now the streaming service has given the green light for the film project, with production slated to begin later this year.
Back to Trek: Just a month after her historic Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh is returning to the Star Trek franchise
Reprise: The 60-year-old Malaysian actress will reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery for the new ‘original movie event’ for Paramount Plus, according to a press release
The series will follow Emperor Philippa Georgiou as she, ‘joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.’
‘I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,’ Yeoh said in a statement.
‘Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of ‘Star Trek’ launched,’ she added.
‘To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams,’ Yeoh added.
‘We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!’ she concluded.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman added that Yeoh had an idea to spin-off Georgiou back in 2017, ‘before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired.’
‘She broke new ground as one of the first two women on screen in the pilot to usher in a new age of Trek, and now, six years later, Star Trek: Section 31 finally arrives on the heels of her latest groundbreaking win,’ he said, referring to her being the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.
‘For years, we’ve been looking forward to Michelle Yeoh one day returning to Star Trek,’ added David Stapf, president of CBS Studios.
Secret division: The series will follow Emperor Philippa Georgiou as she, ‘joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past’
Near and dear: Near and dear: ‘Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of ‘Star Trek’ launched,’ she added
‘Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways,’ he added.
‘We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with Michelle once again as we continue to explore the ‘Star Trek’ universe, celebrate its legacy and chart a course for the future of the franchise,’ he concluded.
The film will be written by Craig Sweeny, who served as a writer and producer on the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, who has directed 12 episodes of Discovery.
Sweeny and Osunsanmi will also executive produce alongside Kurtzman and Yeoh, plus Aaron Baiers, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth.
The organization in Star Trek lore known as Section 31 was first introduced in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1999 entitled Inquisition, written by Ira Steven Behr.
It is a defense organization that carries out covert operations for the United Federation of Planets.
There had been talk of a Section 31 project ever since the end of Star Trek: Discovery Season 1, when a deleted scene featured Yeoh’s Georgiou being approached from someone from the organization.
Yeoh will next voice Airazor in the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, in theaters June 9, and she stars in the next Kenneth Branagh/Hercule Poirot mystery, A Haunting in Venice, in theaters September 15.
Powerful: ‘Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways,’ he added
Coming soon: Yeoh will next voice Airazor in the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, in theaters June 9, and she stars in the next Kenneth Branagh/Hercule Poirot mystery, A Haunting in Venice, in theaters September 15
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