Is the Star Trek 4 Movie Dead? Paramount's Dilemma and the Future of the Franchise
It's been a decade since the release of Star Trek Beyond, and Paramount has been struggling to get a fourth installment of the Chris Pine-led franchise off the ground. A recent report from Variety suggests that the studio may have finally given up, indicating that Star Trek 4 is officially dead.
The new regime at Paramount, led by Skydance's David Ellison, is eager to revitalize the sci-fi franchise with fresh faces. The report states, 'The hope is to have a fresh 'Star Trek' movie, though the studio has moved on from the idea of bringing back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the ensemble from the J.J. Abrams reboot.'
This means that the beloved cast, including Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Karl Urban as McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, and John Cho as Sulu, may not return for another adventure. The cast had been very keen to return, and it would have been great to have given them one last adventure. However, the sequel has spent a ridiculous amount of time in development under various writers and directors; perhaps it's best for a fresh start.
Initially, Star Trek 4 was set to feature the return of Chris Pine as James Kirk's father, as seen in the opening sequence of the 2009 movie. That version of the project ultimately fell apart. From there, new variations on the sequel were in the works from Noah Hawley (Alien: Earth), Matt Shakman (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), and even Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
Another Star Trek project in development is a prequel set to be helmed by Andor director Toby Haynes with Seth Grahame-Smith writing and Simon Kinberg and J.J. Abrams producing. Not much is known about the film, but it has been previously reported that it's set many decades before the events of the 2009 movie and is said to involve the creation of Starfleet and mankind's first contact with alien life.
In the time it's taken Paramount to do practically nothing with the theatrical side of the franchise, Star Trek has been very busy on the small screen with three live-action series (and another on the way), two animated series, and even a streaming movie.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Star Trek 4, the franchise continues to thrive in other media, and fans can look forward to new adventures in the Star Trek universe, whether on the big screen or small.
