The strikes are over, and slowly but surely, many across Hollywood getting back to work on fan-favorite projects. This includes Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes, who spoke to CinemaBlend about his post-strike schedule and shared some exciting news about his future with the franchise. Before all that, however, he's be trading space-faring adventures for something far more cozy, as he's starring the Hallmark Christmas movie A Biltmore Christmas, which may serve as a heartwarming way for fans to spend their time while waiting on upcoming Trek shows.
I had the honor of speaking to Jonathan Frakes about his work on A Biltmore Christmas, which is set to debut on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, November 26th, at 8:00 p.m. ET. When I inquired about what other projects he might be working on or promoting in his future, the actor confirmed that it won't be long before he'll be back and invested in the Star Trek universe, along with some other gigs. In his words:
I’m going back up to Toronto to direct on Strange New Worlds. I’m about to go back into the studio to revoice some stuff on a video game called Star Trek: Resurgence, and I got a couple of other non-Star Trek projects that are now able to hook up and get started up again. It has been a very interesting, fallow time, for which I’ve been very grateful that I have the convention circuit to participate in.
The actor and director will join the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crew to helm at least one episode of the throwback spinoff as that project rolls into its Season 3 shoot. The series was reportedly one day from starting Season 3's production process ahead of the strikes, so one can imagine Jonathan Frakes and others are thrilled to finally get started on it.
He's also tackling some voice work for the video game Star Trek: Resurgence, which was released in April 2023. That said, it's not clear if he meant he would be rerecording dialogue to replace something in the finished game, or if this would be for a future DLC release. and has some other things going on outside of the franchise. I'm excited to see what else he's working on outside of the franchise, of course, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'm still eagerly waiting on the resolution to SNW's cliffhanger Season 2 finale.
It'll probably be a while before we see anything from Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, so it's a good thing we'll see some actors from the franchise soon in the Hallmark movie A Biltmore Christmas. The story centers around a screenwriter named Lucy Hardgrove, tasked with penning the remake of a Christmas classic, only to be sent to the Biltmore estate where it was filmed because her boss didn't like the re-imagined ending. While visiting, Lucy discovers the ability to travel through time to the original movie's filming and learns the real story behind the iconic film. Jonathan Frakes plays Winston, who works at the Biltmore estate and can be seen alongside actress Bethany Joy Lenz below:
Jonathan Frakes is not the only Star Trek veteran attached to A Biltmore Christmas, either. Robert Picardo is also attached to the upcoming Hallmark movie, in a role quite unlike his previous one as the Emergency Medical Hologram on Voyager. Both men are great actors, and fans of their sci-fi work may love the opportunity to see them teaming up for something a little different this holiday season.
And while it doesn't appear Jonathan Frakes has any live-action Star Trek appearances lined up for the near future, we do know that he served as a director on the upcoming final season of Discovery. Frakes agreed with fans at the time that DISCO ending so soon sucked, so having him attached to the show at the end feels like a holiday blessing, even if the season isn't starting until after the holidays.
Star Trek is a successful franchise, but to say it tends to sidestep holidays with any religious connection, like Christmas, is an understatement. As such, I feel like it'll be a treat as a fan to see Jonathan Frakes interacting in such a different type of project, especially after his phenomenal performance in Picard Season 3. I said back then he deserved awards recognition for Riker, and if that won't happen, perhaps he'll get some shine for this movie.
More Star Trek is on the way in 2024, but those with a Paramount+ subscription can binge all sorts of content right now. And, of course, don't forget to catch Jonathan Frakes in A Biltmore Christmas on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday, November 26th.
