Tag: Star Trek

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Star Trek’: Paramount Hires ‘Andor’ Director Toby Haynes For Mysterious Prequel Movie Penned By Seth Grahame-Smith

“Star Trek” is indeed coming back to the big screen after some major hiccups with some other projects such as Quentin Tarantino‘s film getting thrown into development limbo and the studio still trying to iron out what they’re doing with their fourth installment that once had Matt Shakman set to direct before moving on to do Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” reboot. A new report from Deadline has revealed that director Toby Haynes (“Andor”) and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith have been selected by Paramount to make a new mysterious feature film set in the “Star Trek” universe.

While a synopsis and plot details aren’t being made public, the report claims the new film won’t be “Star Trek 4” but rather a story that takes place before the events of the 2009 reboot that had been directed by J.J. Abrams. We’ll likely know a bit more once the studio and folks involved start talking up the project in the press. Abrams’ production company is still going to be involved as Bad Robot is still named as being part of the producing team for the untitled movie.

More to come.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman Becomes Third Director Hired For ‘Star Trek 4’; Paramount Aims For Spring 2022 Production Start

Paramount Pictures released Star Trek Beyond in 2016 and has been mulling over the next steps for Star Trek 4 for ages now. They’ve been churning-out multiple Star Trek series but for some reason just couldn’t settle with the right incarnation for the fourth installment, directors S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones) and Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) previously being attached to helm the sequel.

Deadline is now reporting a third candidate has stepped in, as Paramount has hired WandaVision director Matt Shakman to hopefully bring Star Trek 4 past the finish line after various hiccups uring the project’s development. The outlet adds that a new script has been penned by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet with an aim to get cameras rolling by next spring.

This announcement would seemly nudge to us that Hawley has joined Clarkson by exiting.

J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot are returning to produce. It’s also assumed that we’ll see the return of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and new addition Sofia Boutella as well.

An earlier incarnation was going to involve time-travel and allow Pine’s Captain Kirk interact with his father George Kirk, who was played by a young Chris Hemsworth before he was cast by Marvel for Thor. Apparently, contract negotiations fell apart leading to the project dissolving.

Quentin Tarantino and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) had been developing their own film based on the gangster episode of the original series. However, that project doesn’t seem like it will be happening.

Star Trek 4 likely won’t be ready for release until spring or summer of 2023.

STAR TREK BEYOND – A surprise attack in outer space forces the Enterprise to crash-land on a mysterious world. The assault came from Krall (Idris Elba), a lizard-like dictator who derives his energy by sucking the life out of his victims. Krall needs an ancient and valuable artifact that’s aboard the badly damaged starship. Left stranded in a rugged wilderness, Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the crew must now battle a deadly alien race while trying to find a way off their hostile planet.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Paramount Releasing Mystery ‘Star Trek’ Film In June 2023

Paramount Pictures announced a new slate of release dates today via Deadline and one of the projects mentioned included an untitled Star Trek film given a spot on June 9, 2023.

There had been multiple Star Trek film projects in the works over the years as the studio has been increasingly indecisive concerning the franchise and what to do next after Star Trek Beyond.

S.J. Clarkson had been hired to direct Star Trek 4 with talk of Chris Hemsworth returning to play Kirk’s father before it was scrapped after returning cast members couldn’t make a deal with the studio concerning salaries.

Quentin Tarantino and screenwriter Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) teamed-up for their own Star Trek film that was expected to be inspired by the gangster episode from the original series, however, it sounds like that one lost steam as well. It seemingly would have allowed the current cast to be part of the project.

Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo) was hired to write and direct his own Star Trek movie before Paramount pulled the plug, according to Hawley speaking to Deadline back in 2020. It was announced in December that Noah would be working with Ridley Scott on an Earthbound Alien streaming series for Disney.

HAWLEY: ” It doesn’t appear to be in my immediate future. I think when Emma [Watts] came in, she took a look at the franchise and wanted to go in a different direction with it. But you know, life is long, we were very close to production but in this business that doesn’t mean much. You got to get out of the gate to be in the race if you know what I mean.”

Last month, Deadline reported that Star Trek: Discovery writer Kalinda Vazquez was tasked by Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams to write an “original” Star Trek film. She’s also working with George R.R. Martin on HBO’s Roadmarks series.

I guess we’ll have to be patient to find out what this project is or if it’s just another incarnation that is going to get shelved before filming kicks-off.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

Benedict Cumberbatch Not Terribly Interested In Playing The Live-Action Version of ‘Star Wars’ Villain Thrawn – “That’s A Straight No From Me”

In the last season of The Mandalorian, we saw Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano on a mission to find Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Legends villain that become part of Star Wars canon after appearing in Star Wars: Rebels. This leading many to assume that a live-action incarnation is likely coming in the very near future.

A big fan-cast contender has been Sherlock and Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who has played villains in the past such as Star Trek’s Khan in the J.J. Abrams movies, The Hobbit’s Smaug The Dragon, and Marvel Comics supervillain Dormammu in Doctor Strange.

While speaking with Collider, Benedict was asked about his interest in the hypothetical role of Thrawn but seems to be turned-off to the idea of being in a makeup chair. A grueling makeup job could easily be a reason someone might want to avoid a role like Thrawn, while others might jump at the chance.

CUMBERBATCH: “That’s a straight no from me, right now. There’s no way I want to be turned blue. I turned the air blue, very recently. No no, seriously, I have precious time with my children and I think sitting in a makeup chair and being painted blue, and the amount of time it would take to do that and then take it off at the end of the day might just… it’s not the right time in my life for that.”

Despite the tease in The Mandalorian, we still don’t know when and where Thrawn could end up appearing officially. Benedict Cumberbatch is currently shooting Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness and is also attached to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home as well.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in Film News

‘Star Trek’: Chris Pine Isn’t Sure If He’ll Be Back For Future Films – Thinks Quentin Tarantino’s Project Would Be “Tremendously Interesting”

Actor Chris Pine is currently doing the press rounds to help promote his upcoming film Wonder Woman 1984 and while speaking with Comic Book revealed he hasn’t read any scripts concerning the Star Trek franchise such as Noah Hawley‘s Star Trek 4 or even the Quentin Tarantino project written by Mark L. Smith, the latter was said to be influenced by the 1930s gangster episode from the original series.

“You know, I haven’t [read a script],” Pine tells Comic Book. “I really, in terms of the Star Trek of it all, I wish I knew anything. I’m quite literally one of the last people ever to find out. So, I haven’t read that script, I don’t know where it is in development, I haven’t read the Noah Hawley script, I have no idea what’s happening in Star Trek land. But I love the character, I love the universe, I love my friends in it, you know, to have a Quentin take on it would be tremendously interesting and entertaining.”

Pine even suggests he might not even return for future films in the exchange.

“You know, look, whatever happens, if I come back or not, it’s a great universe, it deserves to have a future, and I hope that is the case.”

Paramount has seemingly pressed pause on the film side of the franchise to focus on multiple television shows for their streaming service Paramount+ formerly CBS All Access. It would be a little upsetting if the studio ultimately recast the Captain Kirk role but hardly surprising given that they couldn’t figure out salaries back when S.J. Clarkson was attached to direct Star Trek 4 years ago.

SOURCE: COMIC BOOK

Posted on in Film News

‘Star Trek’: Screenwriter Mark L. Smith Talks Quentin Tarantino Project and Seemingly Confirms Captain Kirk’s Involvement

When news hit that Paramount Pictures would be rethinking the Star Trek franchise placing Noah Hawley’s Star Trek 4 on pause it was revealed by Deadline that the Quentin Tarantino project penned by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Overlord, The Midnight Sky) may have been influenced by a classic Star Trek episode titled “A Piece of The Action” that featured a 1930s gangster setting.

Tarantino dropped out as director, but the project is still viable based on an episode of the classic Star Trek series that takes place largely earthbound in a 30s gangster setting — might serve the franchise best as Logan-like spinoffs when the core franchise has been revitalized. 

SFX Magazine (via Games Radar) spoke with Mark L. Smith and he certainly indicated that Captain Kirk would have been part of it. We have to assume they would have wanted Chris Pine back in that role given Tarantino’s previous supportive comments on Pine.

SMITH: “I wrote a Star Trek with Tarantino, and that was a sci-fi script on which I could have fun and lean into some bigger, broader things. Kirk is always just so fun. Tarantino and I had so much fun with him, because Kirk is just William Shatner, y’know? It’s like: you’re not sure who is who, so you can kinda lean into that. Because you watch Chris Pine and he’s playing Kirk, but he’s also playing William Shatner a touch.”

How Paramount moves forward with the franchise is a little unclear as Star Trek 4 isn’t happening anytime soon and the studio seems to be more keen to grind-out various television shows for it’s streaming service. Tarantino also has been public that he is going to be working on books and is prepping a television series of Bounty Law as well.

SOURCE: SFX MAGAZINE