Anna Daniels
“Hugh [Jackman] and I were so thrilled when the last thing we did for ‘X-Men’ was ‘Logan.’ It was the best ‘X-Men’ experience we both had, because we were the same characters but their world had been blown apart. ‘Next Generation’ didn’t end like that. In fact, our last movie, ‘Nemesis,’ was pretty weak.”
Though he regretted the way that the Next Generation cast ended their story with Nemesis, which lost money for Paramount, Stewart still didn’t have a strong desire to reprise the role of Picard. But he wound up taking a meeting with Kurtzman and writers Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman in 2017 out of courtesy, and was intrigued by the angle that they pitched, of a retired Picard living on a wine vineyard in the middle of nowhere who is suddenly, reluctantly pulled back into the action. Variety writes:
“I explained to them all those elements of ‘Next Generation’ which belong in ‘Next Generation,’ and why I didn’t want to go near them again. But they talked about it in such an interesting way. And they talked for a long time.” Stewart told the producers no, thank you, and sent them on their way. Then he had an immediate change of heart. He told his agent to ask Kurtzman to put his ideas in writing. Forty-eight hours later, Kurtzman sent over a more-than-30-page packet outlining a possible Picard series.
It’s no surprise that Logan, a film that takes familiar characters out of their element and burdens them with years of pain and regret, would have an influence on Picard. Whether the influence will also shape the CBS All Access show’s tone and themes is yet to be seen, but it certainly is promising.
Star Trek: Picard will arrive on CBS All Access starting on January 23, 2020.
Written by: Slash
