A 'Star Trek' TV revival Turned Down By CBS!?

[Brian Damage]

Former Star Trek actor Jonathan Frakes has revealed that he once launched a failed attempt to bring the franchise back to television.

Frakes, who played William Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, told UGO that his pitch was turned down by CBS and Paramount.

"I had a Star Trek [project] that I developed for TV, and we were told in no uncertain terms that they said no to [a] Bryan Singer [produced] television Star Trek [and] they said no to a William Shatner [produced] television Star Trek."

He explained: "They feel at CBS Paramount that they don't want to make the same mistake that's been made before, which was watering down the brand by having a TV show and a movie [out at the same time]."

Frakes praised producer and director J.J. Abrams for avoiding the trappings of "classic corporate greed" with the new Star Trek film franchise.

"I think what they've done by taking time off before the Abrams Star Trek, and [then] doing it again [before] the second one, is a much smarter business plan," he suggested. "Not that I wouldn't love [my project] or any of those shows on the air."

The last Star Trek television series, Enterprise, was axed in 2005. The next Star Trek film is expected to begin production this autumn for a release in June 2012.

http://www.digitalspy.com/ustv/news/...wn-by-cbs.html