WIRE Buzz: Star Trek animated series a go, new spy show nabs Game of Thrones stars

Today’s WIRE Buzz skews toward the younger crowd, with spy action and Star Trek both targeting school-age demographics while The CW renews basically every show it's got.

Fans knew a Star Trek animated show was on its way to kids' network Nickelodeon from brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman, but now The Hollywood Reporter reports that the show has been greenlit for a full series. Star Trek: Discovery head honcho Alex Kurtzman is still overseeing this Trekkie spin-off, but the Trollhunters duo will be writing the series without too much concern for the adult Star Treks.

Their show will focus on a teenage crew who man an abandoned Starfleet ship after taking it for a joyride. Basically a couple of bad eggs with the chance to turn it all around thanks to a classic Trek institution. “Dan and Kevin have crafted a story that honors its exploratory spirit in a way that’s never been done before,” said Kurtzman, per THR, “while the Nickelodeon team blew us away with their excitement at bringing Trek to a younger generation around the world.”

That’s a franchise power play, since Trek’s previous expansions have all been bolstering CBS All Access. Moving onto a new network — one not owned by the same corporate overlord, either — is a big move that prioritizes Trek over all else.

No word on when the series will begin production.

That said, speaking of taking something familiar and casting it full of teens, a spy drama that seemingly crosses Spy Kids with James Bond has rounded out its cast. According to Deadline, Alex Rider (which stars Otto Farrant as its titular lead) has added its side characters from British heavy hitters from Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Broadchurch.

Remember Olly from Game of Thrones? Everyone hated him, especially Jon Snow? Well, that actor, Brenock O’Connor, is playing Rider’s best friend, Tom. That’s fine, but Stannis Baratheon himself (Stephen Dillane) is playing Alan Blunt, aka the leader of The Department, while Vicky McClure plays his second-in-command, Mrs. Jones.

John Crawley (Ace Bhatti) and Smithers (Nyasha Hatendi) are also members of the organization. The Department is an even more secretive part of MI6 that recruits Rider to go undercover at Point Blanc, a school filled with the troubled kids of the rich and powerful.

His posse includes housekeeper Jack Starbright (Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo) and uncle (Andrew Buchan), and may expand to include some of the kids he meets at Point Blanc like Kyra (Marli Siu), James (Earl Cave), Laura (Katrin Vankova), Arrash (Nathan Clarke), or Sasha (Talitha Wing). That’s a lot of characters — and it makes sense to introduce them all if this is planned to kickstart a franchise.

But though the eight-part series, written by Guy Burt and directed by Andreas Prochaska, is fully financed, it doesn’t yet have a home. It’s based on the second book of a series of novels by Anthony Horowitz — novels that were previously adapted into the feature flop Stormbreaker back in 2006 — so it clearly plans to tell a story that could expand. The only question now is whether Alex Rider makes a good enough first impression.

Next, a Mythbuster is bringing a new show to the Science Channel. Adam Savage announced Savage Builds, a show in which he engineers some outrageous creations alongside the likes of Peter Jackson and Tory Belleci, in a series of tweets.

Take a look:

Yes, they built an Iron Man suit — and that's not even the most complicated-sounding thing:

The show heads to the Science Channel in June.

Finally, The CW has announced that Roswell, New Mexico and The 100 will be returning for new seasons. That would be the second season for the supernatural reboot Roswell, New Mexico while fan-favorite The 100 is heading toward its seventh season.