There’s been no shortage of Star Trek for fans in recent years—provided, of course, they subscribe to Paramount+. But as the sci-fi stalwart’s number of streaming series has dwindled to just Strange New Worlds (which has an endpoint set after its fifth season) and the upcoming Starfleet Academy, the studio behind the franchise is seemingly ramping up hopes for a big-screen return.
If that sounds like a promise you’ve heard before, you’re not wrong. The most recent reboot or Kelvin Timeline (or “Chris Pine as Captain Kirk,” if you prefer) film came in 2016 with Star Trek Beyond, and there have been many rumblings of new projects in the nearly 10 years since. There was the S.J. Clarkson version with Chris Hemsworth planning a return as Kirk’s father. There was the Noah Hawley version. The Matt Shakman version. And the Quentin Tarantino version, which is near-mythical at this point.
But with Paramount under the microscope following its high-profile corporate shake-ups (you saw South Park, right?), executives are sifting through the studio’s most valuable IP to prioritize plans moving forward. As Deadline reports, an earnings call today saw CEO David Ellison declaring plans to make Paramount “the number one studio for filmmakers and talent in the world.”
That includes increasing the number of movies released annually, with Star Trek “a high priority.” Ellison, the trade points out, has been tied into Star Trek since 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, which counted him among its executive producers.
“As for right now,” Deadline writes, “they are developing a film that includes brand new characters that Andor director Toby Haynes is on board to direct with Seth Grahame Smith writing and Simon Kinberg and J.J. Abrams producing.” This is not news—it’s the ‘origins of Starfleet’ movie that has been percolating since January 2024—though it’s a good reminder that we knew this project was in the works.
More intriguing, though, is this: “They also have another installment with Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of usual characters returning that also has Abrams producing and Steve Yockey writing.”
That can only be Star Trek 4, a movie we’ve long known is in the works in some capacity, but has kept being shuffled around between directors. (Shakman, the most recently attached, left in 2022 when he was hired to helm The Fantastic Four: First Steps.) Could the studio’s renewed push toward big-screen movies mean yet another director announcement is coming soon—and perhaps, hope against hope, an actual movie to follow?
Share your speculation and tell Paramount who it should hire to make Star Trek 4 in the comments below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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