William Shatner's sci-fi franchise 'TekWar' to be resurrected as animated series

William Shatner poses for a portrait on Monday, May 22, 2017 in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

TORONTO — William Shatner's Canadian science-fiction franchise “TekWar” is being redeveloped for television as an animated series for adults.

Los Angeles-based Pure Imagination Studios says it has struck a deal with the “Star Trek” actor's company Shatner Universe to resurrect the 1990s franchise, which started as a book series before it was spun off into TV movies, a series, comic books and a video game.

The storyline is set in 2043 and follows an L.A. detective who's framed as a dealer of an addictive mind-altering drug that's administered in the form of a bio-digital microchip.

Producers say the series is being envisioned as a “mixed-reality” program where viewers can watch the standalone show or participate in a “real-time multiverse” that incorporates other layers of the storyline on mobile, tablets and wearable devices.

Matt Michnovetz, who's worked as a writer on “24” and various “Star Wars” animated programs, will develop and write “TekWar.”

The original “TekWar” TV series filmed in Toronto and aired on CTV in Canada from 1994 to 1996.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2021.