Last year, we learned that, following a shift to streaming, Paramount Pictures was finally making moves to bring Star Trek back to theaters. The property was rebooted in 2009 with Star Trek, and filmmaker J.J. Abrams later returned for a sequel, 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness.
Abrams then decided to head into a Galaxy Far, Far Away to take charge of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, leaving Justin Lin to helm Star Trek Beyond in 2016.
Nearly a decade later, a fourth movie has yet to materialise. Multiple ideas and filmmakers have been considered, including Chris Hemsworth's return as Captain Kirk's father and an R-rated Star Trek movie from Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino.
Abrams even announced a fourth instalment with the original cast, prompting many of them to confirm that the news came as a surprise to them (and that they weren't signed up for another movie) during subsequent interviews.
When Tarantino's movie failed to come to fruition, Paramount shifted focus to a new prequel movie with Andor filmmaker Toby Haynes attached to direct from a screenplay by Dark Shadows writer Seth Grahame-Smith.
Last we heard, the studio reportedly still intended to make the "final chapter" of the Chris Pine-led era of Star Trek movies, with Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant) attached to write a new draft of that screenplay. Well, something has changed, and that's the studio's leadership.
In a piece from Variety (via SFFGazette.com) breaking down David Ellison's first 100 days in charge of Paramount following Skydance's acquisition of the company, it's said that, "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."
"It is also working on sequels to 'Top Gun' and 'Days of Thunder,' with the films’ star, Tom Cruise, recently visiting the Paramount lot to congratulate the Skydance team on its takeover and to discuss a return to those franchises and other possible collaborations," the trade adds.
In fact, it's all change at the studios as "some of the films that Paramount is greenlighting, including a movie about a cowboy and his dog searching for his missing daughter that’s been likened to a Western version of 'Taken,' were described as 'America-centric' and geared toward the middle of the country."
So, it's the end of the line for this latest iteration of Star Trek, news which we're sure won't come as too much of a surprise after the last few years. It's previously been reported that Haynes and Grahame-Smith's movie, produced by Simon Kinberg, "will serve as an origin story of sorts for the main timeline of the entire franchise," with the studio "focused on rightsizing the budgets to fit within the clear box office ceiling for 'Star Trek' feature films." We're assuming that's the case, but it may not be, so stay tuned for updates.
Are you disappointed that Star Trek 4 is no longer happening?