New 'Star Trek' film starring Michelle Yeoh in the works
Paramount Plus has officially greenlit Star Trek: Section 31 starring Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.
The "special original movie event" will have Yeoh reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, whom she first played in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery.
The most recent Oscar winner for Best Actress said she is "beyond thrilled" to return to her Star Trek family and to the role she has "loved for so long.”
“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. 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. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!” Yeoh said in a press release.
In the upcoming film, Emperor Philippa Georgiou will join a secret Starfleet division assigned to protect the United Federation of Planets as she is haunted by her past sins.
It was actually Michelle's idea to do a spin-off for her character all the way back in 2017 before the first season of Star Trek: Discovery had even aired, according to executive producer Alex Kurtzman.
“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. Everyone on Team ‘Trek’ couldn’t be more thrilled to have our legendary friend return home to us as we expand our storytelling into new and uncharted corners of the Trekverse. Long live Emperor Georgiou; long live Michelle Yeoh!” Kurtzman said.
Star Trek: Section 31 was written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. CBS will produce, in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, the project that will begin later this year, alongside executive producers Kurtzman, Yeoh, Craig Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth.
Yeoh has appeared in over 70 films and television series, with her extensive credits including Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She is the first Asian to win the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role, thanks to her performance as Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.