SeaWorld will launch a new killer-whale show next spring in its three U.S. marine parks, as it attempts to move beyond the February death of a trainer that has shadowed the company for nearly a year.

Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks' president and chief executive officer, said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the as-yet-unnamed show will replace the 4-year-old "Believe" as the signature attraction at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.

"We've been working very hard at developing a new concept that I think is going to be very exciting," Atchison said.

Atchison said the new show has been in the works for roughly a year. But the timetable for its debut was accelerated following the Feb. 24 death of Dawn Brancheau, the 40-year-old SeaWorld Orlando trainer who was killed by a six-ton orca named Tilikum.