The Walking Dead actress Sonequa Martin-Green has reportedly won the lead role of CBS’s Star Trek: Discovery. Variety has confirmed that the Martin-Green will continue on as a series regular in the hit AMC series while playing the lead role on Star Trek.
Since last year, Star Trek: Discovery has reportedly struggled with delays since it’s official greenlighting by the network. With the delays, CBS went through a lengthy process to find their lead actress.
At Comic Con, Bryan Fuller commented that he was interested in casting a woman of color as the lead role. Fuller stated that he was inspired by Mae Jamison, the first African-American female astronaut. He claimed that he also wanted to honor Nichelle Nichols, who was the lone African American actress in the original Star Trek series.
At the Television Critics Association press tour, Fuller claimed that the lead character would not hold a captain’s rank. Star Trek films in the past have traditionally followed a captain’s storyline.
Since Fuller exited the show, CBS was forced to release the series in May instead of February. His showrunner position has been replaced by Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts.
Allegedly, the network’s search for an African-American or Latina actress lagged since last October.
Sonequa Martin-Green’s character is expected to hold the rank of a lieutenant commander. The lead character’s name has yet to be released by CBS.
Martin-Green has played Sasha Williams since the third season of The Walking Dead. The actress’s other credits include ABC’s Once Upon a Time and CBS’s The Good Wife.
Martin-Green is also the seventh actor to be cast on Star Trek: Discovery.
The series is set to premiere around May on the streaming service CBS All Access. Star Trek: Discovery will also take place ten years before the events in the 1966 original Star Trek series.
