Paramount Pictures has officially abandoned plans for a fourth installment of the Chris Pine–led Star Trek series. According to Variety, with Skydance Media now running the studio following its takeover, “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.”
The first reboot hit theaters in 2009, followed by Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). Various concepts including an R-rated iteration from director Quentin Tarantino and a father-figure Kirk storyline featuring Chris Hemsworth never made it to production. Recent development efforts, including drafts from writer Steve Yockey, have been shelved as the studio pivots.
Instead, Paramount is focusing on a prequel film directed by Toby Haynes from a screenplay by Seth Grahame‑Smith. That project is described as “an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise,” produced by Simon Kinberg, with a tighter budget aimed at the franchise’s “clear box-office ceiling.”
With the Pine/Quinto crew era coming to a close, fans and industry watchers await the studio’s next move for the iconic sci-fi universe.
Source: Gazette