The future of the Star Trek franchise on the big screen has been clouded in uncertainty for what feels like forever, in direct contrast to the small screen arm of the property, which is positively thriving.
At various points we’ve heard tales of a canonical fourth installment in J.J. Abrams’ Kelvin series, a reboot from Noah Hawley that was binned just as pre-production was beginning to gear up, the mythical R-rated effort being developed by Quentin Tarantino, and much more besides.
All we know for certain is that two new Star Trek features are in the works, one of which hails from WandaVision director Matt Shakman. That project has already been hit with a six-month delay and won’t be arriving until December 2023, even though it hasn’t been officially confirmed what corner of the mythology it occupies.
Of course, there’s been plenty of chatter that the filmmaker is helming a Kelvin adventure, something Simon Pegg may have hinted at when he admitted to Collider that he’d spoken to both Shakman and Abrams seeking a potential status update.
“I don’t know much. I’ve met Matt briefly and seems like a great guy. I love the work he did on WandaVision. It’s always waiting with these things, because the world is an uncertain place. COVID’s thrown everything into a spin. There’s so many factors that have to align in order for these things to happen. I’m just quietly waiting for news basically. And I texted J.J. the other day and said, ‘Tell me what’s happening.’ He’s just like, ‘We’re waiting for news.’ I’d love to see more adventures in the Kelvin universe. Obviously, any chance I get to work with those actors is… I’ll leap at it, albeit it’s going to be a little sad this time, but stay tuned.”
Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the gang haven’t been shy in voicing their openness to reunite for another intergalactic blockbuster, but as of yet we’ve yet to hear anything concrete from either Paramount or Shakman confirming the in-development effort as Star Trek 4.
