There have been numerous developments in geek TV series recently, and we round them up here.

Following on the heels of announcing Michelle Yeoh as the first cast member for Star Trek: Discovery (see “Michelle Yeoh Cast in 'Star Trek: Discovery'”), CBS Access has added two more actors to the series, Entertainment Weekly is reporting.  Anthony Rapp (Rent, Road Trip) has been cast as Lt. Stamets, an “astromycologist” fungus expert.  Stamets is the first character for the franchise to be conceived and announced as gay. (Lt. Sulu was revealed to be gay in this summer’s “Kelvin Timeline” film Star Trek Beyond but was not originally conceived by Gene Roddenberry with that characteristic.)  Seasoned character actor Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Falling Skies) will play Lt. Saru, a Star Fleet science officer who is also a member of a new alien species new to the Star Trek universe. Yeoh will play Captain Georgiou, commanding the Starship Shenzhou.

Of her Facebook page, author Anne Rice announced she has regained the theatrical rights to her Vampire Chronicles novels.  “A television series of the highest quality is now my dream for Lestat, Louis, Armand, Marius and the entire tribe.  In this the new Golden Age of television, such a series is THE way to let the entire story of the vampires unfold,” she wrote. R ice is currently working with her son, Christopher Rice, on a pilot script and detailed outline for a series.  Rice and her son plan to executive produce the series.

Netflix’s Lost in Space remake has cast Parker Posey (House of Yes, Blade: Trinity) as Dr. Smith, according to Deadline.  The villainous character was portrayed by Jonathan Harris in the original TV series.  Dr. Zachary Smith was an intergalactic doctor of environmental psychology, who worked for the United States Space Corps, who was secretly an agent for an enemy government.  He was trying to sabotage the Jupiter 2 by reprogramming the Robot to destroy the ship several hours after take-off, but he was accidentally trapped aboard the spaceship before takeoff.  The series is scheduled to debut in 2018 (see “Judy Cast for 'Lost in Space'”).

Syfy’s pilot Happy! has cast its star: Chris Meloni (Underground), Deadline is reporting.  The project is moving quickly, with the pilot only announced a few months ago (see “Grant Morrison's 'Happy!' Gets Pilot Order”).  The story, based on Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel, follows Nick Sax, an ex-cop turned hitman, who has hit rock bottom.  After a hit goes wrong, Sax suddenly begins to see a cheerful, blue-winged horse.  Meloni will also executive produce the pilot.