Credit: ParamountParamount is looking to expand its Star Trek universe, and to do so, is continuing the time-honored tradition of hiring a director from a different galaxy far, far away to helm a brand new project set decades before J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot.
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After finding massive success on streaming thanks to hit Paramount+ originals like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, it looks like Paramount Pictures is ready to return to the Final Frontier — this time, on the big screen. Of course, J.J. Abrams’ updated take on the Star Trek universe, beginning in 2009 and spawning two sequels, including Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016), have graced the silver screen in somewhat recent years, but the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise has since failed to return to theaters.
The long-awaited Star Trek 4 featuring the “Kelvin-Verse” has been stuck in development limbo for the better part of five years, with the distant hope of this crew persisting. However, we might finally have an update on what Paramount is deeming the “final” chapter in J.J. Abrams’ series — as well as an entirely new “origin story” led by Andor director Tobey Haynes.
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Per Deadline, a new Star Trek movie is in the works from Haynes, with Beetlejuice 2 (2024) scribe Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script and Abrams’ company, Bad Robot, producing. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but according to sources close to the production, the project is an origin story that takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that introduced Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, and Zoe Saldana’s Lieutenant Nyota Uhura to the mix.
Additionally, insiders revealed that the final chapter in that main series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development. This is particularly exciting news for fans of the “Kelvin-Verse,” as there hasn’t been a film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Still, fans shouldn’t get too excited yet, because as far as we know, the film is still without a director since Matt Shakman departed the project to helm Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four (2025) reboot.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint precisely why Star Trek 4 has taken so long to make, many point to disagreements between two of its leading stars, Pine and Chris Hemsworth (who plays Kirk’s father, George), and the studio being the primary reason, as negotiations broke down over pay. On top of having lowered salaries, the Thor (2011) star also claimed he was unsatisfied with the script. In 2019, production on the film was officially canceled, with director S.J. Clarkson moving on to other projects.
Thankfully, this update seems to point to the notion that disagreements between Paramount and Star Trek 4‘s principal cast members have since been dissolved, and hopefully, it’s smooth sailing from now on. As for Haynes’ untitled Star Trek project, it’s reassuring to see the studio handing over the reins to another creative familiar with dealing with major IP. Haynes was the principal director on the Rogue One (2016) prequel series Andor, which is up for an impressive eight Emmys on Monday, including Best Drama Series.
Haynes is far from the first filmmaker to make the jump from Star Wars to Star Trek, as J.J. Abrams — for better or worse — helmed two-thirds of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). With an impressive resume under his belt, Haynes is a solid pick for the upcoming Star Trek entry. Sadly, this means the director will not be returning for Andor Season 2, which is expected to premiere on Disney+ in 2025.
After being handed off to numerous creatives over the years — including Quentin Tarantino, at one point — Star Trek fans can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief now that Star Trek 4 appears to be back on track. It remains unclear if Tobey Haynes’ “Kelvin-Verse” prequel will premiere before or after the fourth Star Trek entry, but either way, it’ll be interesting to see how the story unfolds when Paramount (hopefully) releases an official synopsis in the coming months.
Are you sad to see Tobey Haynes going his separate way from Disney and Lucasfilm? Let us know in the comments below!