William Shatner.Patrick Stewart.Kate Mulgrew. And nowJason Isaacs. The newStar TrekTV series has a captain. CBS announced today that theHarry Potteractor has signed on to play Captain Lorca, Captain of the Starship Discover in the upcoming TV seriesStar Trek: Discovery. Additionally,BasketsactressMary Wisemanhas joined the ensemble as a cadet in her final year of study.
Further details are not yet known, but Isaacs is a major casting coup for the show and, presumably, a big piece of the puzzle.The Walking DeadalumSonequa Martin-Greenleads the new series as the USS Discovery’s lieutenant commander Rainsford, and unlike previous shows the captain of the ship will not be the main protagonist. But he’s no doubt an integral player, and Isaacs is a fantastic choice. He’s been doing terrific work for years, fromThe Patriotto his iconic turn in theHarry Potterfranchise, and he just turned in a delicious performance inGore Verbinski’s wonderfully grotesque horror picA Cure for Wellness.
Isaacs is no stranger to television as he starred in the seriesCapital Cityin the early 90s and led the before-its-timeAwakeback in 2012. Most recently he starred on the Netflix seriesThe OA, butStar Trek: Discoveryis certainly a high profile get for the performer.
Production is already underway on the show, which has been pushed back repeatedly after initially being slated to premiere in January. The show is a cornerstone of CBS’s streaming-only service CBS All Access, and will only be available online after its pilot debuts on broadcast television. The show is now poised to drop early this fall.
The cast forStar Trek: Discoveryalso includesDoug Jones,Anthony Rapp,James Frain,Terry Serpico, andMaulik PancholywithMichelle YeohandShazad Latifin recurring roles.
