‘Star Trek’ Reboot From Noah Hawley Is Now On Hold
Noah Hawley’sStar Trekmovie, which isn’t to be confused with the long-delayedStar Trek 4, is now on hold. Paramount actually hasthreedifferentTrekmovies on the backburner:Star Trek 4, theStar Trekmovie thatQuentin Tarantinowas going to direct, and Hawley’s movie. The fate of all three remains in doubt now, and sources state that one of the reasons for the delay of Hawley’s film is that the plot involves a deadly virus, which audiences might not be in the mood for anytime soon.
Okay, let’s break this down before it gets too complicated. Paramount ownsStar Trek, andStar Trekis a huge moneymaker. The film franchise was rebooted withJ.J. Abrams’Star Trek, and continued withStar Trek Into DarknessandStar Trek Beyond.Beyondwasn’t exactly a big hit, but Paramount has no intention of letting the franchise go. There were plans for a fourth film that would bring back the reboot cast, along withChris Hemsworth, who appeared in the first Abrams film as the father ofChris Pine’s James T. Kirk. The plot would involve time travel and Kirk reuniting with his long-dead father.
However, that project fell apart due to reports that both Pine and Hemsworth wanted too much money. Hemsworth latersaidanother reason he walked was that he wasn’t happy with the script. Meanwhile, while plans forStar Trek 4had stalled, Quentin Tarantino threw his hat into the ring. Tarantino came up with an idea for his ownStar Trekmovie – an idea that Paramount liked so much they wanted to make it happen.The RevenantscreenwriterMark L. Smithwas tapped to pen the screenplay, with the assumption that Tarantino would direct – but Tarantino has since walked away from the project. However, Smith’s script still exists.
Then we have Noah Hawley’sStar Trekmovie. By all accounts, Hawley’s film was going to be something entirely different and likely wouldn’t involve the reboot cast. (Tarantino’s project reportedlywasgoing to involve the reboot cast.) The Hawley film was in early development, but now, according to Deadline, it’s on hold. Why? Reportedly, Paramount film chiefEmma Wattsis weighing options and trying to decide which of these threeTrekfilms sounds like it could be the biggest hit. Meanwhile,THRadds that Hawley’s film involves a “plot centering around a virus that wipes out vast parts of the known universe,” and since we’re still in the midst of our own very real deadly pandemic, there might be some hesitation about making a big, expensive movie with such a touchy topic. Only time will tell whichStar Trekmovie wins out in the end.
