New ‘Star Trek’ Prequel Movie in the Works

Seth Grahame-Smith is aboard to write the new film, which will be developed in addition to a fourth movie starring Chris Pine and the current crew.

1979's 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.' Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Preview:

‘Andor’ director Toby Haynes is aboard a new ‘Star Trek’ movie.
Seth Grahame-Smith will write the script for the new film.
It’s just one of the ‘Trek’ movies in development.

Since ‘Star Trek Beyond’ premiered in 2016, things have been awfully quiet on the big screen Trek front. While the TV side of things has gone from strength to strength with the likes of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, ‘Star Trek: Picard’, ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ and other series expanding the universe to success on streaming, it has felt like Paramount didn’t really have a solid direction for the movies.

Different ideas have been mooted, but nothing has come to fruition. So we’re understandably skeptical –– albeit enthused –– at news of another.

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What’s the latest ‘Star Trek’ movie in development?

1979's 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.' Photo: Paramount Pictures.

As reported by Deadline, the new movie will be set years before Captain Kirk (Chris Pine, at least assuming its set within the “Kelvin” alternate timeline established in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 ‘Star Trek’.

Toby Haynes, who did excellent work as one of the main directors on recent ‘Star Wars’ series ‘Andor’, will be overseeing this one, while Seth Grahame-Smith (no stranger to genre himself after writing the likes of ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ and producing the ‘It’ movies and many more, will be on script duty. Abrams is on board to produce.

Does this replace the mooted fourth main ‘Star Trek’ movie?

(L to R) Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho and Zoe Saldana in 'Star Trek' (2009). Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

As of right now, it appears the studio is still going full (warp) speed ahead on the next ‘Trek’ movie featuring Pine and the rest. Or at least is still developing it. Little is known about the movie, which at different times has had Matt Shakman –– who has since departed to focus on Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’ –– and previously, SJ Clarkson attached to direct.

It would seem that Paramount’s film arm is looking to take a page out of its TV side and have multiple projects in play.

Which brings us to…

What about Quentin Tarantino’s Trek movie?

Quentin Tarantino accepts the Oscar® for original screenplay for “Django Unchained” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013.

There was, for a while, much excitement about the idea that Quentin Tarantino would direct a ‘Star Trek’ movie.

There was a concept pitched –– a spin on a gangster-filled planet inspired by a classic ‘Trek’ episode called ‘A Piece of the Action’ –– and a script written by ‘The Revenant’s Mark L. Smith. The plan was to deliver something that would be very different from the usual ‘Trek’ style (though ‘Discovery’ and co. have long since introduced swearing into the universe), with a hard R-rating.

But with Tarantino having long since said he was planning to retire after another one more movie, it seems he didn’t want that film to be a ‘Star Trek’ outing.

Here’s what Smith told Variety on the matter:

“Quentin and I went back and forth, he was gonna do some stuff on it, and then he started worrying about the number, his kind of unofficial number of films. I remember we were talking, and he goes, ‘If I can just wrap my head around the idea that ‘Star Trek’ could be my last movie, the last thing I ever do. Is this how I want to end it?’ And I think that was the bump he could never get across, so the script is still sitting there on his desk.”

Less “to boldly go” than “to boldly hang around”, then. Here’s hoping the Haynes film has more luck.