Posted in: CBS, Preview, Star Trek, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: cable, cbs, cbs all access, discovery, Jonathan Frakes, patrick stewart, Picard, riker, star trek, Starfleet, streaming, television, The Next Generation, The Orville, tv

"Star Trek: Picard": Jonathan Frakes Signals His Directing Duties Have Wrapped

Fans of CBS All Access' upcoming Star Trek franchise spinoff series Star Trek: Picard have been buzzing about the series when it was first announced, and the teaser released did nothing but dump a whole lot of fuel on an already blazing dumpster fire of speculation. Then came word from Star Trek: The Next Generation's own Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. Will Riker) himself that he would be reuniting with Patrick Stewart when he directs the "second block" of episodes from the upcoming series (with an announcement tweet, which you can find below) – and now?

Frakes is letting fans know that his time at the helm are over, with filming on his episodes having officially wrapped as of this Tuesday:

Here's a look at Frakes' original heads-up about his return to the director's chair:

Jonathan Frakes' "Captain Picard Day" Message…

It should come as no surprise that his "Number One" would have a special message for him on his own day:

"Hello Trekkers, Trekkies, Picardians! I'd like to wish you all a happy Captain Picard Day."

STAR TREK: PICARD features Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard, which he played for seven seasons on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The new series will follow this iconic character into the next chapter of his life.

Star Trek: Picard also stars Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadaway; with Hanelle Culpepper directing the first two episodes of the season. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, James Duff, Patrick Stewart, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers and Aaron Baiers (Secret Hideout) serves as co-executive producer and Kirsten Beyer as supervising producer.

In an interview with Trek Movie from April 2019, Frakes shared what he could about the upcoming series – and wants fans to know that's its something worth getting excited about:

"Eighteen years later. I think the fans are going to be thrilled and excited and surprised. I have had the privilege of reading the first couple of episodes and I have spent some time with Patrick who is so engaged [laughs] Sorry. It's wonderful. It's smart. I'm excited about it. He is obviously more excited. His announcing of it at Las Vegas — which I believe was his idea —was very smart. You know he is 78, and he is going to be carrying the show on his shoulders, his considerable shoulders.

I'm excited for him and personally, I feel so blessed to back. It's so ironic that I spent so many years trying to expand where I was working and I was lucky enough to get onto other types of shows. The directing has been a mitzvah for me—to learn another craft. And now I am deeply ensconced in the world I was in 31 years ago—and I've got to say—incredibly grateful for it, between The Orville, and Discovery and Picard. And hopefully the Empress Georgiou show."

– Jonathan Frakes

Star Trek: Picard will air exclusively on CBS All Access in the United States and will be distributed simultaneously on the global scene by CBS Studios International on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories; and in Canada on Bell Media's cable networks, Space and Z, and OTT service Crave.

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