Fans of Star Trek got some bad news regarding the possible return of actors like Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldaña, and the rest of the Enterprise Crew. It has been nine years since the release of Star Trek Beyond, the longest gap between theatrical Star Trek films. For years, Paramount Pictures has struggled with Star Trek 4, with the most recent incarnation of the project set to feature the return of the crew from the Kelvin Timeline established in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 film, Star Trek, and its two sequels, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
However, as with everything regarding Star Trek 4, there is only bad news ahead. In a new report about David Ellison’s first 100 days as the head of Paramount, Variety reports that the company 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.” However, they are still invested in Star Trek and are looking to produce a new film in the series.
The Long, Difficult Road for ‘Star Trek 4’ Has Sadly Come to an End
Star Trek 4 has had a long and tumultuous development cycle. The movie was first announced before the release of Star Trek Beyond and would have seen Chris Hemsworth reprise his role as George Kirk, father of Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk. However, following the disappointing box office of Star Trek Beyond, the sequel was ultimately scrapped and brought back to the drawing board to reduce the budget. At various points, directors like Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley were brought on board to pitch new Star Trek films that may or may not have included the Kelvin Timeline crew. Paramount Pictures did market research that said audiences would be more interested in a Star Trek movie that brought back the crew from the 2009 film and its sequels.
In July 2021, Paramount Pictures hired WandaVision director Matt Shakman to helm Star Trek 4, with a planned December 2023 release. In February 2022, Paramount Pictures announced that Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldaña, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and John Cho would return for Star Trek 4. However, the news came as a shock to the actors and their management, as no negotiations on payment had been made. By August 2022, Matt Shakman dropped out of Star Trek 4 to direct The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That was the last word on Star Trek 4, though much of the cast as hinted about being excited to return.
Paramount Pictures did have a separate Star Trek film in development, an “origin” film set in the Kelvin Timeline that would be helmed by Andor director Toby Haynes and produced by Simon Kinberg. No word on if that project is Paramount’s plan for their new Star Trek movie, or if they will once again start over. The sad fact remains that, under Paramount’s new leadership, it appears the Kelvin Timeline crew of the Enterprise story will come to an end without a final farewell like the crews of The Original Series or Next Generation received.
- Release Date
-
May 8, 2009
- Runtime
-
127 Minutes
