Summary
Rumors are circulating about a newStar Trekmovie, and, much to the disappointment of some fans, it’s notStar Trek 4. The rumors suggest that there’s some movement on theStar Trekprequelmovie, which was officially announced in April 2024.
At CinemaCon 2024, Paramount shocked the Trek fandom with the announcement of a newStar Trekmovie, dubbedUntitled Star Trek Origin Story, set to release in theaters in 2026. Paramount also confirmed that the movie would head into production in 2024. The inclusion of “origin story” in the project’s title made it clear that this project definitely wasnotStar Trek 4, which has been stuck in development hell for the past eight years, but a brand-new feature film project. About a month later, the studio confirmed that thenew movie would be a prequel, set long before the events depicted in the Kelvin timeline movies, taking fans all the way back to the formation of Starfleet.
Last week, the insiders over atPuckprovided a new update on theUntitled Star Trek Origin Storymovie. They claim that the script is done, Paramount is almost ready to move on the project, and that filming could start within the first half of 2025.
Who’s Involved in the Project?
When Paramount announced the movie in April, the studio also confirmed that it would be directed by sci-fi veteranToby Haynes, best-known for his work onStar Wars: Andor, Black Mirror,andDoctor Who,and written bySeth Grahame-Smith, the writer behindAbraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,and most recently,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Rumors started circulating in May that Simon Kinberg ofX-Menfame was in talks to produce the film, and soon after, those rumors were confirmed. According toPuck, Kinberg is definitely on board, and he’s listed as the producer onIMDB. However, Paramount hasn’t yet confirmed his involvement.
Reports have indicated that J.J. Abrams will also be involved in theStar Trekprequel, and he’s listed as an executive producer alongside Kinberg on IMDB. However, most of the information about the prequel focuses on Kinberg as the creative lead on the project.
If Kinberg is taking the helm of theStar Trekmovie universe, Trek fans could end up at odds withStar Warsfans as they did when Abrams putStar Trekon hold to focus onStar Wars: The Force Awakens. However,Puck’sinsiders claim that won’t be an issue, as Paramount is well aware of his deal with Disney and theStar Trekmovie is scheduled for production far earlier than Kinberg’s newStar Warsproject.
What Does This Mean for ‘Star Trek 4’?
Fans who’ve been waiting more than eight years for anotherStar Trekmovie set in the Kelvin Universe and led by Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldaña are understandably nervous about what theStar Trekprequel means forproduction onStar Trek 4.
Though Paramount has confirmed that the studio is still planning to move forward with one more Kelvin-universeStar Trekfilm, updates about the project have been few and far between, as they have been for several years. The last meaningful update came in March, when Paramount announced thatSteve Yockey had signed onto write the script. However, this update meant little to fans who’ve followed the development ofStar Trek 4. Since 2017, at least five different writers have been attached to the project.
Though thecore cast membersstill want to see the movie happen,Star Trek 4clearly isn’t Paramount’s priority when it comes to the franchise. If it’s ever going to happen, fans probably won’t seeStar Trek 4until long after theStar Trekprequel hits the big screen.
Star Trek
Star Trek is a space exploration franchise originally created by Gene Roddenberry. The series has spanned shows like The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Voyager. More recently, developer Scopely came out with Star Trek Fleet Command, a mobile title where you get to be captain of your own ship.
