At this point, the only “Star Trek” movie I’m actually interested in seeing is Quentin Tarantino’s “batsh*t crazy” R-rated take, which, given his silly 10-film rule, will probably never happen.
Now, a “Star Trek 4” was indeed supposed to happen — it was, in fact, greenlit right before the release of Justin Lin’s “Star Trek Beyond,” but the latter’s disastrous commercial and critical reception derailed the follow-up.
Variety is now reporting that Paramount is going to reboot the whole franchise yet again, with the hope of having a “fresh” new take on the series. Trekkies rejoice? The studio has moved on from the idea of bringing back Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the ensemble from the original J.J. Abrams reboot.
Abrams’ take on the franchise delivered two well-reviewed instalments: “Star Trek” (2009) and “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013). The main issue, much like his stint with the “Star Wars” reboot, is that Abrams exited as director and the whole thing collapsed with ‘Beyond.’ Who in their right mind would hire Justin Lin for “Star Trek”?
Back in 2019, S.J. Clarkson’s “Star Trek 4” had reportedly been shelved. Clarkson was supposed to be the first female director to helm a “Star Trek” movie, but casting reportedly “got bad,” with numerous sources specifically pointing the finger at the “abnormally high” salaries demanded by stars Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth.
Clarkson (”Jessica Jones”) had signed on to helm the film, based on a script by uncredited “Star Trek: Beyond” writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. The story was rumored to see Hemsworth’s George Kirk (Capt. Kirk’s dad) returning to the franchise alongside the NuTrek cast of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and John Cho.
If I’m Paramount, I try my best to get Tarantino’s script greenlit. Tarantino recently showed an openness in having his scripts helmed by other filmmakers (Fincher’s “Cliff Booth”) — how about you let him choose the director and make this movie happen. It’s time. You’ll get a bigger audience than any other “Star Trek” movie conceived without Tarantino’s input.